Microindentation and macroindentation of titanium silicon carbide Ti3SiC2

We have studied the behavior of titanium silicon carbide Ti3SiC2 in different structural states (one-phase and two-phase, compacted, porous) during microindentation (load up to P = 0.9 N) at room temperature with automatic recording of the loading, holding, and unloading diagrams. We used scanning electron microscopy to study the microstructure around the macrohardness indentations (P = 10-200 N). The results obtained are compared with corresponding data for a number of metallic and ceramic materials. On the P - h loading diagrams (h is the penetration depth), we observe plateaus which are the result of microfracture of the material under the indentor. This reflects the characteristics of titanium silicon carbide: when it is loaded, intergrain and intragrain microcleavage occurs. The plasticity (or pseudoplasticity) of the material can be characterized using the relative work dissipated in the deformation, i.e., expended for irreversible deformation, which can be determined during microindentation: lambda(p) =A(P)/A.