Mechanical properties of ultra-high pressure sintered sphene (CaTiSiO<inf>5</inf>)

The investigation of nano-mechanical properties of sphene sintered under ultra-high pressures in the order of 4GPa is done using indentation techniques. An indentation hardness of 6.6GPa and reduced elastic modulus of 112.3GPa is reported at maximum load of 7mN. The material exhibits a high elastic recovery (∼59.1%) and the nature of deformation mechanism has been comprehended from the plastic work ratio. In addition, the fracture toughness of the material is also evaluated using indentation crack length method.