Application of Instrumented Indentation Technique for Small Scale Testing

Abstract

Instrumented indentation technique (IIT) is a novel tool to estimate mechanical properties such as tensile properties, residual stress and fracture toughness by analyzing indentation load-depth curve measured during loading-unloading of indentation. It can be applied directly in small-scale and localized sections of pressure vessel and pipeline since the preparation of specimen is very easy and the experimental procedure is feasible and nondestructive. We present the principles developed for measuring mechanical properties using IIT; the tensile properties by defining the representative stress and strain underneath a spherical indenter, the residual stress near the weldments using the stress-insensitive contact hardness model, and the fracture toughness of ductile metal based on critical indentation energy model. The experimental results from IIT were verified by comparing the results from the conventional methods such as uniaxial tensile test for tensile properties, mechanical saw-cutting and hole-drilling methods for residual stress, and CTOD test for fracture toughness. In particular, the applications of IIT in small scale materials and localized sections of the pressure vessel and pipeline in-use and in-fields are presented.