Kubehjørneindenteret

Kubehjørneindenteret is a term used in materials science and engineering to describe a cube corner indenter, a sharp tip employed in nanoindentation and related hardness-testing techniques. The designation reflects a tri-rectangular geometry formed by three perpendicular faces meeting at a single apex, producing a very sharp contact tip for small-scale mechanical measurements.

The geometry and fabrication of a kubehjørneindenteret are central to its function. Its apex is produced from stringent diamond polishing or focused ion beam processing to achieve a near-ideal cube corner with minimal rounding. The tip is typically made from natural or synthetic diamond due to its high hardness and wear resistance, which are essential for maintaining accuracy during deep or repeated load cycles. Precise control of the corner angles and apex radius is critical, because the contact area and the interpretation of load-displacement data depend strongly on the tip geometry.

In use, a kubehjørneindenteret enables nanoindentation experiments that probe mechanical properties such as hardness and elastic modulus with high spatial resolution. The small contact area at shallow depths allows assessment of thin films, coatings, and microstructured materials while minimizing substrate effects. Data interpretation requires calibration against reference materials and careful consideration of tip wear, alignment, and thermal drift.

Advantages of the cube corner design include high resolution and a sharp stress field, which can reveal fine-scale material behavior. Limitations involve tip wear, sensitivity to surface roughness, and more complex calibration compared with other indenter geometries such as Berkovich or spherical tips.

See also: nanoindentation, cube corner indenter, Berkovich indenter, hardness testing.