Design and Experimental Study of an in-situ Micro/Nano Indentation Testing Device Inside the Scanning Electron Microscope

doi:10.3901/JME.2025.20.030

Abstract

Abstract: The in-situ indentation testing inside the scanning electron microscope(SEM) is an effective technology for investigating and revealing the deformation damage process and mechanism of materials under contact loading. However, this technology is basically monopolized by foreign countries. Accordingly, an in-situ micro/nano indentation testing device inside the SEM with independent intellectual property rights is designed and developed, and its size is 130 mm×56 mm×53 mm. The structure, electromechanical system and testing processes of this device are described in detail, along with the calibration and performance testing of its core components. Corresponding to the load range of 500 mN and displacement range of 19 μm, the load noise and displacement noise are less than 0.03 mN and 2 nm respectively, which meets the performance requirements for micro/nano indentation testing. Using the reference mapping method, the frame compliance of the developed device is calibrated. The load-depth curve obtained by the device after calibration basically coincides with that obtained by the commercial indentation instrument. Finally, the in-situ indentation tests of the Zr-based metallic glass are performed inside the SEM by using the cubic corner indenter. The effects of maximum indentation load and loading rate on the serrated flow behavior and the characteristics of indentation-induced shear bands of metallic glasses are investigated, verifying the practical application potential of this device for performing micro/nano indentation testing inside the SEM.

Key words: in-situ testing, micro/nano indentation, scanning electron microscope, metallic glass, serrated flow, shear band

CLC Number:

TH871

YI Chunxue, LIU Renlin, ZHANG Xu, HUANG Hu, ZHAO Hongwei. Design and Experimental Study of an in-situ Micro/Nano Indentation Testing Device Inside the Scanning Electron Microscope[J]. Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 2025, 61(20): 30-39.

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