Abstract
This paper is concerned with the developments for the application of indentation techniques to determine fracture toughnesss of the hot-pressed boron carbide - titanium diboride ceramics. The single edged pre-cracked beam(SEPB) technique was chosen as the primary method to study in detail the effects of experimental parameters on K1c determinations for the hot-pressed boron carbide - titanium diboride ceramics. Obsevations of the induced crack in the specimens and estimation of the fracture toughness data obtained for the same specimens by the SEPB technique provided a suitable calibration of the indentation coefficient. The calibrated equation of indentation toughness are also demonstrated to be capable of predicting the median and radial growth characteristics observed in other ceramic materials.
