Depth-Sensing Nanomechanical Characterization of Thin Films and Coatings: A Primer
LIVE DEMONSTRATION: MECHANICAL PROPERTY CHARACTERIZATION WITH THE HYSITRON TI 980
In this demonstration, the presenter will use Bruker's Hysitron TI 980 nanomechanical test system to show how nanoindentation testing bridges the gap between macro-scale measurement and micro-scale measurement.
Dynamic nanoindentation (nDMA) involves applying a sinusoidal oscillation to the probe during the whole indentation process to calculate phase lag and force and displacement amplitude at every point in the loading and unloading segment. From this, we can calculate storage and loss components for the modulus, and also the damping behavior of the material as well. This will give information about the viscoelastic properties of the sample as a function of depth, rather than only at the point of maximum load.
We discuss the capabilities and ideal configuration of the instrument for thin film measurement, including how to keep the strain rate of the deformation constant and how to adjust the maximum peak force so that the test produces enough deformation to see some of the interesting characteristics of these nanoindentation measurements on a film substance. Then, we record the force and displacement response as the probe is pressing into the material during the whole loading and unloading segment, and once the test is done we go back and analyze the data. If there is a large enough deformation we will also be able to optically analyze or collect an image of that deformation.
