November 19, 2021
In partnership with Micro Materials. Established in 1988 Micro Materials has continually been at the forefront of innovation, with a pioneering approach leading to the world’s first nanoscale impact tester, commercial high-temperature nanoindentation stage and liquid cell.
I hope you’ve all had a good week. Please enjoy the 6th issue of Modern Surface: Length scale effects, impactful authors and news feeds. Recently I’ve been reflecting on teamwork and collaboration. Very few of us work entirely by ourselves and I think for many people, it’s who we work with that makes our roles enjoyable. Thinking through my research career so far, it’s been the fellow PhD students, fellow research associates and supervisors that have constantly inspired and challenged me to be better. A good team and good collaborators will push each other to be better, hit higher targets and strive for ambitious goals. Teamwork really does make the dream work.
Length scale effects during nanoindentation are key to understanding the measured response of materials at different loads and depths for crystalline materials. Review of Nanoindentation Size Effect: Experiments and Atomistic Simulation by Voyiadjis and Yaghoobi presents a review of the latest experimental and modelling explorations of the indentation size effect.
Abstract: Nanoindentation is a well-established experiment to study the mechanical properties of materials at the small length scales of micro and nano. Unlike the conventional indentation experiments, the nanoindentation response of the material depends on the corresponding length scales, such as indentation depth, which is commonly termed the size effect. In the current work, first, the conventional experimental observations and theoretical models of the size effect during nanoindentation are reviewed in the case of crystalline metals, which are the focus of the current work. Next, the recent advancements in the visualization of the dislocation structure during the nanoindentation experiment is discussed, and the observed underlying mechanisms of the size effect are addressed. Finally, the recent computer simulations using molecular dynamics are reviewed as a powerful tool to investigate the nanoindentation experiment and its governing mechanisms of the size effect.
One of the major steps in becoming familiar with the literature is identifying the key authors. These architects of landmark papers help to shape our understanding of new areas. The chart below presents the most impactful authors in the field of indentation for the past 5 years. You can explore this data further (including different time ranges) here.
The calculations to model mixed lubrication are complex needing geometric considerations, material parameters, lubricant parameters and running parameters. Tribonet has recently produced an excellent online calculator to make this much faster. Check it out here.
New online workshop: Micro Materials User Meeting13th December 2021 9 am – 11.15 am GMT
This online workshop will be an informal chance to hear about advances in the field from users, ask questions and discuss ideas in an open forum. It’s an ideal opportunity to learn more about these techniques. With a focus on nanotribology, we will hear from invited speakers including Professor Robert Wood from the University of Southampton and Professor Mark Gee of the UK’s National Physical Laboratory, Dr Steffen Brinckmann from Juelich Research Centre, Dr Jan Tomastik from the Czech Academy of Sciences. Prof Ben Beake and Adrian Harris, will also be presenting and taking part in the Q&A forum.
Speakers and talk titles: