Mechanical characterization of micro-volume systems, as thin films or micro-sized phases embedded in multiphase materials, has attracted special interest in the last decades since different micromechanical techniques have been developed to characterize microdevices and materials at the micro and nano scale and it has become apparent that mechanical properties may depend on the analysis scale. An example is the way a crack grows in a bulk material that is likely to be different from crack propagation in a micro-volume where crack and microstructural dimensions are comparable. Consequently, there is a need of a detailed knowledge of material properties at micro and nano scale to design materials with advanced mechanical properties. In this way, micro and nanoscale science and technology enables to improve new materials and applications at macroscopic scale through a sound micromechanical design. The accuracy of test methodologies will depend on the size scale in which specific mechanical properties are studied. Micro scale is usually defined as the length scale in the range of 1-1000 microns, whereas nanoscale is usually defined as smaller than a one tenth of a micrometer in at least one dimension, although this term is sometimes also used for materials of larger dimension but smaller than one micrometer. Efforts to characterize the mechanical response of small volumes have led to the development of a variety of test methodologies, as uniaxial micro testing machines, micro beam cantilever deflection or nanoindentation devices. Challenges of testing at the micro scale include micro specimen preparation and handling, the application of small forces, and stress and strain measurement. Nanoindentation appears as the easiest way to study local behaviour on thin films or micro-sized phases, since no special sample preparation is required and tests can be performed quickly and inexpensively. Nanoindentation tests consist in the application of a controlled load on the specimen surface through the direct contact with a sharp diamond indenter and recording the evolution of the load versus the penetration depth of the indenter. The use in engineering of thin films, advanced coatings and materials with small tailored microstructures has led to the analysis of mechanical properties of very small volumes in which size effects might be important. Efforts to design and model the reliability of small-scale devices are directly dependent on the availability of accurate and reliable measurements of relevant mechanical properties at small scales. In designing structural or machine components an important step is the identification of the main micromechanical damage mechanisms. It is particularly interesting to determine the first fracture step, i.e., the crack nucleation in order to optimize the material resistance to crack nucleation. Stable brittle fracture takes place easily by the contact of a hard indenter on a brittle surface; this methodology is known as indentation fracture. Indentation fracture yields valuable information on the fundamental processes of brittle fracture in covalent-ionic solids, and detail on subsidiary deformation processes in the contact region; it provides ‘controlled flaws' for systematically evaluating fracture properties, and it serves as a simple microprobe for determining material fracture parameters, toughness, crack-growth exponent, etc. For materials that exhibit R-curves behaviour, it affords a much needed bridge between the short-crack domain of microstructural flaws and the long-crack domain of traditional toughness testing; mainly in the study of the first regimes of crack propagation. The great appeal of the indentation methodology is its versatility, control and simplicity, requiring only access to routine hardness testing apparatus. In order to study the mechanical behaviour of small-volumes and micro-sized phases, nanoindentation has become a suitable technique for the mechanical characterization of small-volumes and micrometer – sized phases, in terms of hardness (H), elastic modulus (E) and fracture toughness (Kc). While H and E can be routinely measured by nanoindentation from the load – displacement curves, the evaluation of Kc of hard micro-sized phases can in principle be measured from the length of the cracks at the corners of the indentation. This method of evaluation of Kc is known as Indentation Microfracture (IM) and it was proposed in the 1970s for Vickers indentation cracks in bulk materials. However, the design of new materials leads to ever smaller microstructures, hence lower loads and sharper indenters has to be used in order to concentrate the deformation and fracture only in the very small volume of phases of interest. Mechanical characterization of small volumes, has recently received much attention, and many works have focused on the determination of Kc by nanoindentation following the IM method. Nanoindentation allows using low loads needed for accurate micromechanical characterization with high spatial resolution. However, the use of a different kind of tip geometry and load range in nanoindentation technique raises some questions about the applicability of the existent fracture toughness equations which were developed in the past mainly for Vickers tips and for loads typically more than two orders of magnitude higher. Therefore, for a better knowledge of the micromechanical behaviour of brittle materials, this work is directed to the study of indentation microfracture applied to small volumes, focussing on the understanding of the fracture behaviour of brittle materials in terms of indenter tip geometry, applied load and crack morphology generated. On the other hand, since it is of a scientific and technological interest to understand the mechanical response of micro-volume systems, the feasibility of extending the IM developed for brittle bulk materials to engineering systems formed by micro-sized hard phases in multiphase materials or thin films will be also studied.

This second edition of Handbook of Micro/Nanotribology addresses the rapid evolution within this field, serving as a reference for the novice and the expert alike. Two parts divide this handbook: Part I covers basic studies, and Part II addresses design, construction, and applications to magnetic storage devices and MEMS. Discussions include: surface physics and methods for physically and chemically characterizing solid surfaces roughness characterization and static contact models using fractal analysis sliding at the interface and friction on an atomic scale scratching and wear as a result of sliding nanofabrication/nanomachining as well as nano/picoindentation lubricants for minimizing friction and wear surface forces and microrheology of thin liquid films measurement of nanomechanical properties of surfaces and thin films atomic-scale simulations of interfacial phenomena micro/nanotribology and micro/nanomechanics of magnetic storage devices This comprehensive book contains 16 chapters contributed by more than 20 international researchers. In each chapter, the presentation starts with macroconcepts and then lead to microconcepts. With more than 500 illustrations and 50 tables, Handbook of Micro/Nanotribology covers the range of relevant topics, including characterization of solid surfaces, measurement techniques and applications, and theoretical modeling of interfaces. What's New in the Second Edition? New chapters on: AFM instrumentation Surface forces and adhesion Design and construction of magnetic storage devices Microdynamical devices and systems Mechanical properties of materials in microstructure Micro/nanotribology and micro/nanomechanics of MEMS devices

Research in the area of nanoindentation has gained significant momentum in recent years, but there are very few books currently available which can educate researchers on the application aspects of this technique in various areas of materials science. Applied Nanoindentation in Advanced Materials addresses this need and is a comprehensive, self-contained reference covering applied aspects of nanoindentation in advanced materials. With contributions from leading researchers in the field, this book is divided into three parts. Part one covers innovations and analysis, and parts two and three examine the application and evaluation of soft and ceramic-like materials respectively. Key features: A one stop solution for scholars and researchers to learn applied aspects of nanoindentation Contains contributions from leading researchers in the field Includes the analysis of key properties that can be studied using the nanoindentation technique Covers recent innovations Includes worked examples Applied Nanoindentation in Advanced Materials is an ideal reference for researchers and practitioners working in the areas of nanotechnology and nanomechanics, and is also a useful source of information for graduate students in mechanical and materials engineering, and chemistry. This book also contains a wealth of information for scientists and engineers interested in mathematical modelling and simulations related to nanoindentation testing and analysis.

This textbook and comprehensive reference source and serves as a timely, practical introduction to the principles of nanotribology and nanomechanics. This 4th edition has been completely revised and updated, concentrating on the key measurement techniques, their applications, and theoretical modeling of interfaces. It provides condensed knowledge of the field from the mechanics and materials science perspectives to graduate students, research workers, and practicing engineers.

With the development of functional materials (multi-materials, multilayers, ...), the mechanical behavior characterization by conventional macroscopic methods has become progressively difficult. These conventional methods are therefore gradually substituted by multiscale characterization processes. Among these methods, the nanoindentation, this can solve certain challenges of micro-characterization such as the presence of indissociable phases, multilayer systems, ultra-thin coatings, etc. This tool has become a high-precision technique capable of testing very small volumes of matter and providing rich information for material characterization. However, this tool is used mainly to identify the elastic properties and, qualitatively, some parameters such as hardness, ductility and internal stresses.This thesis work focuses on the characterization of elastoplastic behavior by nanoindentation at two scales: the macroscopic scale and the crystal scale.The first challenge of this work is experimental. It involves generating surfaces with properties representative of the studied microstructure. This challenge is important because the material used as a model is 316L steel which is very ductile and whose surface is sensitive to small perturbations. An experimental protocol was implemented at the end of this work, and the errors and dispersions of the nanoindentation response introduced by the different surface generation steps were quantified. Then, a wide database was implemented with different indenter geometries and several depths. This database will feed inverse identification strategies based on a coupling between optimization algorithms and finite element modeling of this test. Two types of algorithm have been applied: Levenberg-Marquardt and genetic algorithms. The latter is very consumer in computing time. Different axisymmetric and 3D FE models have been used. These models have been carefully optimized with respect to computation time.Several identification strategies were employed based on various experimental databases from the nanoindentation test such as the loading-unloading curve, the residual imprint shape and the association of several indent geometries. Some models of isotropic hardening have been identified. On the macroscopic scale, classical isotropic hardening models have been determined. At the grain scale, the crystal plasticity constitutive model of Méric and Cailletaud has been identified. The results obtained were compared on the macroscopic scale with identifications carried out on the same material from the tensile and compression tests. The comparison showed that the combination of multiple indentation geometries makes it possible to reproduce the volume behavior of the 316L with acceptable accuracy. For crystal behavior, micropillar compression tests were used to obtain reference data at this scale. The comparison shows a lot of dispersion in both cases. Indeed, some phenomena related to the density of dislocation very variable from one grain to another are responsible of this dispersion. This dislocation density is not taken into account, as a variable, in the used crystal constitutive model. The use of a more physical law integrating the dislocation density and its evolution makes it possible to improve these results. Finally, a new identification method has been proposed. This method is based on estimating and introducing the real indent geometry in the FE model used for identification. The method has been validated in the case of Berkovich tip and shows very promising results.

Small scale mechanical deformations have gained a significant interest over the past few decades, driven by the advances in integrated circuits and microelectromechanical systems. One of the most powerful and versatile characterization methods is the nanoindentation technique. The capabilities of these depth-sensing instruments have been improved considerably. They can perform experiments in vacuum and at high temperatures, such as in-situ SEM and TEM nanoindenters. This allows researchers to visualize mechanical deformations and dislocations motion in real time. Time-dependent behavior of soft materials has also been studied in recent research works. This Special Issue on "Small Scale Deformation using Advanced Nanoindentation Techniques"; will provide a forum for researchers from the academic and industrial communities to present advances in the field of small scale contact mechanics. Materials of interest include metals, glass, and ceramics. Manuscripts related to deformations of biomaterials and biological related specimens are also welcome. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Small scale facture Nanoscale plasticity and creep Size-dependent deformation phenomena Deformation of biological cells Mechanical properties of cellular and sub-cellular components Novel mechanical properties characterization techniques New modeling methods Environmentally controlled nanoindentation In-situ SEM and TEM indentation

Green materials and green nanotechnology have gained widespread interest over the last 15 years; first in academia, then in related industries in the last few years.The Handbook of Green Materials serves as reference literature for undergraduates and graduates studying materials science and engineering, composite materials, chemical engineering, bioengineering and materials physics; and for researchers, professional engineers and consultants from polymer or forest industries who encounter biobased nanomaterials, bionanocomposites, self- and direct-assembled nanostructures and green composite materials in their lines of work.This four-volume set contains material ranging from basic, background information on the fields discussed, to reports on the latest research and industrial activities, and finally the works by contributing authors who are prominent experts of the subjects they address in this set.The four volumes comprise of:The first volume explains the structure of cellulose; different sources of raw material; the isolation/separation processes of nanomaterials from different material sources; and properties and characteristics of cellulose nanofibers and nanocrystals (starch nanomaterials). Information on the different characterization methods and the most important properties of biobased nanomaterials are also covered. The industrial point of view regarding both the processability and access of these nanomaterials, as well as large scale manufacturing and their industrial application is discussed — particularly in relation to the case of the paper industry.The second volume expounds on different bionanocomposites based on cellulose nanofibers or nanocrystals and their preparation/manufacturing processes. It also provides information on different characterization methods and the most important properties of bionanocomposites, as well as techniques of modeling the mechanical properties of nanocomposites. This volume presents the industrial point of view regarding large scale manufacturing and their applications from the perspective of their medical uses in printed electronics and in adhesives.The third volume deals with the ability of bionanomaterials to self-assemble in either liquids or forming organized solid materials. The chemistry of cellulose nanomaterials and chemical modifications as well as different assembling techniques and used characterization methods, and the most important properties which can be achieved by self-assembly, are described. The chapters, for example, discuss subjects such as ultra-light biobased aerogels based on cellulose and chitin, thin films suitable as barrier layers, self-sensing nanomaterials, and membranes for water purification.The fourth volume reviews green composite materials — including green raw materials — such as biobased carbon fibers, regenerated cellulose fibers and thermoplastic and thermoset polymers (e.g. PLA, bio-based polyolefines, polysaccharide polymers, natural rubber, bio-based polyurethane, lignin polymer, and furfurylalchohol). The most important composite processing technologies are described, including: prepregs of green composites, compounding, liquid composite molding, foaming, and compression molding. Industrial applications, especially for green transportation and the electronics industry, are also described.This four-volume set is a must-have for anyone keen to acquire knowledge on novel bionanomaterials — including structure-property correlations, isolation and purification processes of nanofibers and nanocrystals, their important characteristics, processing technologies, industrial up-scaling and suitable industry applications. The handbook is a useful reference not only for teaching activities but also for researchers who are working in this field.