Nataliya Starostina
Determining strength to hardness correlation coefficients on nano and microscale in correspondence to microstructure and composition leads the way to inexpensive, non-destructive ways to predict tensile strength of bulk materials which is important for developing preventive maintenance procedures in the variety of industries. Nanohardness and microhardness tests were performed on an in-house prepared eutectic SnBi alloy. Elemental composition and eutectic morphology were verified by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. Linear correlation coefficients, C1, between nanoindentation and Vickers microhardness, was determined based on experimental measurements and found to be greater than 1.25. Tabor factor, the ratio of Vickers microhardness to ultimate tensile strength, was estimated to be consistently greater than 3. Comparison to coefficients estimated from data available for other alloy systems is discussed.