| Description |
The field of nanomechanical testing has been developed significantly in the last years. Nanoindentation testing - which is also called instrumented indentation testing - is now a well established technique in materials research although new developments still improve and extend the application field largely. Next to nanoindentation testing other nanomechanical testing methods are now available to measure properties of materials at a very local scale or on very small specimens. Among them this includes testing of nanopillars and miniaturized tensile/bend specimens produced with a focused ion beam, bulge-testing of thin films/membranes and different in-situ testing techniques as for example nanoindentations in an electron microscope. Since always very small volumes are tested size effects are very important. Modelling of the mechanical behaviour is of special importance to gain an improved understanding of the measurements in the various test methods. For example molecular dynamics allows nowadays quite realistic modelling of the deformation processes around nanoindentations. Applications of these nanomechanical testing methods become more and more important in all fields of materials research like metals, ceramics, polymers, biomaterials and coatings and will improve our understanding of the complex mechanical behaviour. Beyond classical hardness testing, nanoindentations and other methods deliver a way more detailed analysis of the mechanical behaviour. For example the visco-elastic behaviour or time dependent properties, phase transformations, fracture phenomena and toughness can be quantitatively evaluated. For many applications also the temperature dependence and other environmental influences are very important. These new nanomechanical testing techniques will help in the development of new materials based on their local mechanical properties.
The conference will bring together experts working in the field of nanomechanical testing in materials research. It will provide a forum for discussion of the latest activities in development and application of nanomechanical testing methods. This conference will be a follow-up meeting to the very successful October 2005 ECI conference on Instrumented Indentation held in Crete. The scope has been extended slightly to include aspects from other nanomechanical approaches which are linked very closely to indentation testing.
The major topics to be discussed are:
Fundamental studies in indentation testing (size effects, phase transformations…)
Contact mechanics and modelling of indentation testing
FIB/SEM based nanomechanical testing
In-situ techniques
Fracture testing
Testing of thin films
Nanomaterials behavior
Polymers and biomaterials
Testing of metals and ceramics at higher temperature and different environments
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