Metrological Comparison of Indirect Calibration Methods for Nanoindentation: A Bootstrap-Based Approach

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Metrology
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Area shape function and frame compliance are critical in nanoindentation, impacting measurement accuracy and uncertainty.
• Indirect calibration methods, as per ISO 14577-2, are widely used due to practicality and speed.
• A comprehensive metrological framework for comparing these methods was previously lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the performance of indirect calibration methods for nanoindentation area shape function and frame compliance.
• To evaluate different calibration alternatives from standards and recent literature.
• To introduce the effect of the nanoindentation dataset on uncertainty estimation using bootstrap methods.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of indirect calibration methods for area shape function and frame compliance.
• Uncertainty estimation utilizing bootstrap estimation.
• Analysis of nanoindentation datasets from certified reference materials.

Main Results:

• Indenting pairs of certified reference materials optimizes accuracy and uncertainty in mechanical characterization.
• A more robust calibration approach is achieved using multiple certified reference materials compared to single-sample methods.
• The study highlights the influence of the nanoindentation dataset on uncertainty estimation.

Conclusions:

• The optimal approach for nanoindentation calibration involves indenting pairs of certified reference materials.
• This method enhances the robustness of calibration experimental conditions.
• The findings contribute to a more reliable metrological framework for nanoindentation measurements.