Method for determining the micro impact energy capacity of the surface of a disk drive head and a thin film disk

A method for testing the micro impact energy capacity of the surface of a sample comprising the steps of:

• supporting an indentor at a selected height above the sample;
• recording the mass of the indentor;
• dropping the indentor onto the surface of the sample;
• measuring and recording the area of the indentation;
• determining the stress from the recorded mass, the acceleration due to gravity, and the area of the indentation;
• determining the strain from the measurement of the indentation;
• repositioning the sample;
• changing the mass of the indentor;
• repeating the above steps to produce a plurality of points for a stress-strain curve;
• plotting stress verses strain to produce a stress-strain curve;
• and
• determining the micro-impact energy capacity of the surface of the sample by calculating the area beneath the stress-strain curve produced.