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The utility of indentation testing for characterizing a wide range of mechanical properties of brittle materials is highlighted in light of recent articles questioning its validity, specifically in relation to the measurement of toughness. Contrary to assertion by some critics, indentation fracture theory is fundamentally founded in Griffith-Irwin fracture mechanics, based on model crack systems evolving within inhomogeneous but well-documented elastic and elastic-plastic contact stress fields. Notwithstanding some numerical uncertainty in associated stress intensity factor relations, the technique remains an unrivalled quick, convenient and economical means for comparative, site-specific toughness evaluation. Most importantly, indentation patterns are unique fingerprints of mechanical behavior and thereby afford a powerful functional tool for exploring the richness of material diversity. At the same time, it is cautioned that unconditional usage without due attention to the conformation of the indentation patterns can lead to overstated toughness values. Limitations of an alternative, more engineering approach to fracture evaluation, that of propagating a precrack through a "standard" machined specimen, are also outlined. Misconceptions in the critical literature concerning the fundamental nature of crack equilibrium and stability within contact and other inhomogeneous stress fields are discussed.

The adhesion of coatings often controls the performance of the substrate-coating system. Certain engineering applications require an epoxy coating on a brittle substrate to protect and improve the performance of the substrate. Experimental observations and measurements of interfacial adhesion in glass-epoxy systems are described in this thesis. A comparison study of how different glass treatments affect adhesion was also conducted: smooth versus rough, clean versus unclean, stressed versus non-stressed. The Oliver and Pharr method was utilized to calculate the bulk epoxy hardness and elastic modulus. Spherical indentations were used to induce delaminations at the substrate-coating interface. The delamination sizes as a function of load were used to calculate the interfacial toughness. The interfacial fracture energy of my samples is an order of magnitude higher than a previous group who studied a similar glass-epoxy system.

Biomorphic silicon carbide ceramics are a new class of materials fabricated by reactive infiltration of molten silicon with carbonaceus preforms obtained from wood pyrolysis. The resulting material is a Si/SiC composite, in which the SiC forms a skeleton that replicates the wood microstructure with unreacted Si filling the pores. The silicon can be removed from the composite creating a highly porous SiC material that can be refilled with other products, like metal alloys, to create ceramic/metal composites.