Amorphization‐induced volume change and residual stresses in boron carbide

The residual pressure surrounding quasistatic and dynamic Vickers indentations in boron carbide was quantitatively mapped in 3 dimensions using Raman spectroscopy. These maps were compared against similar maps of amorphization intensity and optical micrographs of deformed regions to determine the roles of amorphization and damage upon indentation‐induced residual stress. Stress relaxation was observed near radial cracks, spalled regions, and graphitic inclusions. A positive correlation was found between high levels of residual stress and the number of amorphized sites detected. Finite element simulations were conducted to model the indentation‐induced residual stress fields in the absence of amorphization and cracking. The simulations underpredicted the average residual pressure observed through Raman spectroscopy, implying that amorphization contributes to increased pressure in the material. This pressure is interpreted as potential evidence of volumetric expansion of the amorphized material which is less ordered and hence exerts compressive forces on the surrounding crystalline matrix.