...Y. C. Lu; D. M. Shinozaki Large displacement micro-indentation tests have been performed on various polymeric solids to measure the plastic properties. Cylindrical flat-ended indenters with diameter in the range of 10 – 90 μ m are mostly used. The mechanism of large-strain indentation has been...

..., however, unexpected behavior occurs: fracture initiates at the void, induced by crazing in the polymer and not at the fiber. This is explained by two factors: (i) the thermal softening of the polymeric matrix, which makes it more difficult for debonding to occur (recall that the critical threshold...