Vickers Hardness of Multi-wall carbon Nanotube reinforced alumina

Reliability of indentation method in carbon nano tube reinforced ceramics had been proposed in some works, especially of indentation toughness. In this work the traditional indentation hardness of the Multi-wall carbon Nanotube reinforced alumina composites was studied. It is found that the Vickers hardness and nano indentation hardness of MWNT reinforced alumina fabricated by SPS decreased from about 20GPa to 16GPa at a critical load force about 1kg. While pure alumina showed a Vickers hardness of 20.6GPa in the whole load force range. When the load force or displacement into surface increasing, continuous recorded hardness, contact stiffness and modulus of the MWNT reinforced alumina showed quite different behavior compared with the pure alumina, especially at middle period of indentation. It was believed that different properties in vertical and horizontal directions of the MWNT were the key. MWNT was compressed and deformed as a soften component in the whole indentation processing. And tensile stress caused by MWNT in composite became significant until an enough strain attained and decreased when a critical stress was over. The results mean the definition of hardness or similar ones seemed need deep description in this type of material.