| Abstract Scope |
Oxide glasses are used in numerous applications but continue to suffer from a major disadvantage: they easily break! Substantial progress has been made in recent years, including the discovery of new glass compositions and processing techniques to improve damage resistance and tolerance. However, many open questions remain regarding the processes that control crack initiation and growth at different length and time scales. In this talk, I will present our attempts at addressing some of these questions, mostly through indentation studies and structural characterization. Small variations in glass chemistry, thermal or pressure history, indenter tip sharpness and stiffness, atmospheric humidity etc. can lead to large differences in the deformation mechanism and cracking behavior. I will also highlight the insights that can be gained through in-situ characterization during indentation using synchrotron x-ray nano-diffraction and nano-tomography experiments. |