Nanoindentation System

• Subject Area: Materials Science
• Term: Funded in 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 497801977

The application is for a universally applicable nanoindentation system for determining the local mechanical properties of materials or individual microstructural components, even under various environmental influences (e.g. temperature, hydrogen, etc.). This is a replacement of a system that is already 16 years old.In addition to the previous areas of application, the new instrument is to be used increasingly in the areas of fast "hardness and modulus mapping" in multiphase and gradient materials as well as in composites, and also for measurement at test temperatures up to 800°C, which our previous system does not allow. The new instrument will also be used for "strain rate jump tests" and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) in conjunction with testing at higher temperatures to provide information on the temperature dependence of deformation processes in materials and to make environmental influences visible through in situ tests, such as the influence of hydrogen on material behavior. In addition to classical metallic materials, testing will also be carried out on metallic glasses, on hybrid foams and on polymer materials and composites. In addition, the use of the system for testing, in particular for fatigue, of micrometer- and nanoscale specimens such as "pillars" and "microbeams" will be continued. By means of integrated electrical current-voltage measurement, the electrical contact resistance of metal-matrix composites will be investigated for application in electrical engineering. The replacement procurement ensures the reliable continuation of current research projects and the answering of future research questions in new state-of-the-art projects. The device will continue to be operated in the user group of the applicants and will be available to working groups throughout Saarland University in the "Mechanical Materials Testing" service center.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Nanoindenter
• Instrumentation Group: 2930 Härteprüfmaschinen, Reibungs- und Verschleiß-Prüfmaschinen
• Applicant Institution: Universität des Saarlandes
• Leader: Professor Dr. Christian Motz