In Situ SEM Nanomechanical Testing - Advances in Extreme Temperature Testing and Automation

Join Eric Hinstala, applications scientist at Bruker Nano Surfaces for our Beyond the Scope: CEMAS Discussion Series on In Situ SEM Nanomechanical Testing - Advances in Extreme Temperature Testing and Automation.
The combination of nanomechanical testing and electron microscopy is a powerful technique for targeting microstructural regions of interest, directly visualizing deformation mechanisms in small-scale volumes with correlated mechanical data, and high throughput testing for generating useful statistics. Furthermore, the demands for accelerated development of advanced materials, particularly for energy and aerospace applications, require evaluating structure-property relationships in materials at operational temperatures. Several recent developments on the Bruker Hysitron PI89 SEM PicoIndenter enable such research to be done, helping to build understanding from the nanoscale upwards. The PI89 can be automated for easy co-location of top-down SEM imaging (ie EDS, EBSD) with mechanical testing. This allows for regions of interest to be identified and tested without breaking vacuum or changing sample holders. A case study on stainless steel laser cladding on a regular steel substrate will be presented. For the new advances in extreme temperature testing, both indentation of the SiC coating of a TRISO particle up to 1000°C and a cryogenic pillar compression of austenitic stainless steel and tungsten will be presented.