The Course

Course Summary | Course Outline | Learning Objectives | Upcoming Course Dates

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.