Anomalous surface deformation of sapphire clarified by 3D-FEM simulation of the nanoindentation

This work clarifies the origin of anomalous surface deformation reflected by peculiar surface patterns around indentation impressions on various crystallographic planes of sapphire. The three-dimensional finite element simulation (3D-FEM) of nanoindentation in Al₂O₃ crystal allowed the authors to localize the regions in which various kinds of twinning and slip are most prone to be activated. The work provides a novel approach to the “hardness anisotropy”, which was modeled so far using a modified uniaxial-stress approximation of this essentially 3D, non-isotropic contact problem. The calculated results enabled the authors to unravel the asymmetric surface deformation detected on prismatic planes by the high-resolution microscopy, which cannot be explained using simple crystallographic considerations.