Size Effects and Charting the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Individual Phases and Interphases in Polycrystalline Materials

Size effects in the hardness of individual phases and inclusions of multiphase materials are studied via micro- and nanoindentation for a number of rock samples (polycrystalline ferruginous quartzites, granite, anthracite, sandstone, marble, and verd antique). The distribution of the local physical and mechanical properties of the studied materials is charted. Size effects in hardness and correlations between the distribution of local physical and mechanical properties and the morphology of the studied samples are found.