Molecular dynamics simulations of nanoindentation are performed on monocrystal copper. A new contact atoms method is presented for calculating the contact area. Compared with conventional methods, this method can provide the contact area more accurately not only for sink-in but also for pile-up situation. The effect of tip radius on indentation is investigated too. The results indicate that the measured hardness of the material will become higher as the tip radius increases.
CHEN Shangda1,2 & KE Fujiu1,2 1. Department of Applied Physics, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing 100083, China
