Indentation Thermal Shock Test for Ceramics

This paper presents an indentation‐quench method to determine the resistance of ceramics to thermal cycling. The method defines a critical quench temperature difference, ΔTc, based on a criterion which includes a minimum amount of crack growth and a minimum fraction of growing cracks. The method is applied to three different materials, which are ranked according to the individual values of ΔTc. The variation of ΔTc with different indentation loads and indentation positions is investigated. This technique uses a small number of specimens, avoids subsequent mechanical testing, and provides information about the ΔTC of the materials. The effect of repeated cycling on crack extension is also discussed.