Abstract
The pressure sensitivity behavior of polymeric solids is studied by depth sensing indentation. The proposed analysis expands the scope of previous methodologies that deal with the determination of plastic properties by depth sensing indentation available in literature [1-3]. Two indenter geometries were used: Berkovich and spherical indentation. An inverse problem type algorithm was developed to determine the properties of materials assuming they display a pressure dependant perfectly plastic behaviour. The stability of this algorithm is investigated to identify the extent to which this algorithm can be applied effectively. An experimental example of the application of the methodology was successfully carried out on PMMA.
