Testing techniques for mechanical characterization of nanostructured materials

Abstract

Testing methods are reviewed that can be applied to the small sample sizes which result from many of the processing routes for preparation of nanocrystalline materials. These include the measurement of elastic properties on small samples; hardness, with emphasis on nanoindentation methods; the miniaturized disk bend test (MDBT); the automated ball indentation test (ABI); the shear punch test; and the use of subsize compression and tensile samples.