The Course
Learning Objectives
- Understand the basics of instrumented indentation testing and its use in relationship to conventional indentation techniques.
- Ability to design and perform indentation experiments which are suited to the sample material and its surface characteristics.
- Recognize unusual material behaviors and understand how to adapt experimental parameters.
- Interpret indentation data in order to extract meaningful and valid values of mechanical properties with a high level of confidence.
- Identify potential measurement artefacts and adapt test parameters accordingly.
- Understand measurement uncertainties and how to minimize them.
- Appreciate the variation of surface mechanical properties as a function of depth or spatial distribution and understand how to focus on specific layers, phases or inclusions in a heterogeneous material.
- Be able to interpret relevant applications and case studies, such as: common coating-substrate combinations, multiphase materials, composites, surface-modified layers, and Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) devices.
- Recognize currently applicable industrial standards and be able to adapt such test methodologies to own specific application.