A continuum dislocation model of Vickers indentation on a zirconia

The Vickers indentation of 3 mol% Y 2O 5 partially stabilized ZrO 2 (3Y-PSZ) was examined by a depth sensing technique and analyzed on a continuum dislocation model. The model is based on the punching of prismatic dislocation loops to accommodate the volume of plastic penetration at the prismatic indentation. A procedure is proposed for solving an inverse problem to estimate the plastic core zone configuration and yield stress in the indentation of brittle materials using the information obtained from the experimental indentation curve of the material. It was found that there are an infinite number of solutions as a function of the plastic zone configuration. The most appropriate solution was obtained by comparing the predicted profiles of the indentation with the profile observed by a topographic scanning electron microscope. The estimated plastic zone configuration and yield stress show reasonable agreement with experimental data of Y-PSZ in the literature.