On the relationship between modulus of elasticity and microhardness

The correlation between the modulus of elasticity, on the one side, and Vickers microhardness and total microhardness, on the other side, was analyzed in the case of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylenes. An extension of the application of the power relation between microhardness and the modulus (MH = aE^b) obtained by different methods was suggested. A linear dependence between constants obtained by Vickers and total microhardness measurements and other different techniques of modulus measurement was established, which signifies that both microhardness characteristics change their sensitivity toward the modulus in a similar way. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 1794–1798, 2003