This part of ISO 14577 specifies the method of instrumented indentation test for determination of hardness and other materials parameters for the three ranges given in Table 1. The macro and micro range are distinguished by the test forces in relation to the indentation depth. Attention is drawn to the fact that the micro range has an upper limit given by the test force (2 N) and a lower limit given by the indentation depth of 0.2 um. The determination of hardness and other materials parameters is given in annex A. At high contact pressures, damage to the indenter is possible. For this reason in the macro range, hard metal indenters are often used. For test pieces with very high hardness and modulus of elasticity the influence of indenter deformation on the test result should be taken into account. NOTE This test method can also be applied to thin metallic and non-metallic coatings and non-metallic materials. In this case the specifications in the relevant standards should be taken into account (see also 6.3).
