Material Property Differentiation in Indentation Testing Using Secondary Sensors

Current in vivo and in situ testing procedures are dominated by indentation. The major challenge for this testing technique is in finding a unique solution to the “inverse problem” i.e., defining an appropriate constitutive framework and obtaining material properties consistent with the indentation force–displacement data. Much of the information related to the interplay between shear and bulk compliance in the deformation field beneath the indenter is lost when capturing this single output. We propose a material testing method that follows the well proven path of conventional indentation methods, but enriches the signal by acquiring displacement data not only for the actuated indenter, but also for a set of offset, passive secondary sensors. We use finite element (FE) simulations involving three cases of materials: (a) linear elastic, (b) hyperelastic and (c) time-dependent to demonstrate the benefit of these additional sensors. The results indicate that the addition of these secondary sensors can help to discern between materials with varying degrees of compressibility.     

On the Measurement of two Independent Viscoelastic Functions with Instrumented Indentation Tests

In the present paper, a methodology for complete characterization of linear isotropic viscoelastic material with spherical instrumented indentation test is proposed. The developed method allows for measuring two independent viscoelastic functions, shear relaxation modulus and time-dependent Poisson’s ratio, from the indentation test data obtained at non-decreasing loading, but otherwise arbitrary. Finite element modelling (FEM) is relied upon for validating the proposed methodology and for quantifying the influence of experimental variables on the measurements accuracy. Spherical indentation experiments are performed on several viscoelastic materials: polyoxymethylene, bitumen and bitumen-filler mastics. The viscoelastic material functions obtained with the indentation tests are compared with the corresponding results from the standard mechanical tests. Numerical and experimental results presented indicate that the methodology proposed allows mitigating the machine compliance and loading rate effects on the accuracy of the viscoelastic indentation tests.     

On establishing elastic–plastic properties of a sphere by indentation testing

Instrumented indentation is a popular technique for determining mechanical properties of materials. Currently, the evaluation techniques of instrumented indentation are mostly limited to a flat substrate being indented by various shaped indenters (e.g., conical or spherical). This work investigates the possibility of extending instrumented indentation to non-flat surfaces. To this end, conical indentation of a sphere is investigated where two methodologies for establishing mechanical properties are explored. In the first approach, a semi-analytical approach is employed to determine the elastic modulus of the sphere utilizing the elastic unloading response (the “unloading slope”). In the second method, reverse analysis based on finite element analysis is used, where non-dimensional characteristic functions derived from the force–displacement response are utilized to determine the elastic modulus and yield strength. To investigate the accuracies of the proposed methodologies, selected numerical experiments have been performed and excellent agreement was obtained.     

Nonlinear granular micromechanics model for multi-axial rate-dependent behavior

Constitutive equations for class of materials that possess granular microstructure can be effectively derived using granular micromechanics approach. The stress–strain behavior of such materials depends upon the underlying grain scale mechanisms that are modeled by using appropriate rate-dependent inter-granular force–displacement relationships. These force–displacement functions are nonlinear and implicit evolutions equations. The numerical solution of such equation under applied overall stress or strain loading can entail significant computational expense. To address the computations issue, an efficient explicit time-integration scheme has been derived. The developed model is then utilized to predict primary, secondary and tertiary creep as well as rate-dependent response under tensile and compressive loads for hot mix asphalt. Further, the capability of the derived model to describe multi-axial behavior is demonstrated through generations of biaxial time-to-creep failure envelopes and rate-dependent failure envelopes under monotonic biaxial and triaxial loading. The advantage of the approach presented here is that we can predict the multi-axial effects without resorting to complex phenomenological modeling.     

Nonlinear interactions and chaotic dynamics of suspended cables with three-to-one internal resonances

Nonlinear planar oscillations of suspended cables subjected to external excitations with three-to-one internal resonances are investigated. At first, the Galerkin method is used to discretize the governing nonlinear integral–partial-differential equation. Then, the method of multiple scales is applied to obtain the modulation equations in the case of primary resonance. The equilibrium solutions, the periodic solutions and chaotic solutions of the modulation equations are also investigated. The Newton–Raphson method and the pseudo-arclength path-following algorithm are used to obtain the frequency/force–response curves. The supercritical Hopf bifurcations are found in these curves. Choosing these bifurcations as the initial points and applying the shooting method and the pseudo-arclength path-following algorithm, the periodic solution branches are obtained. At the same time, the Floquet theory is used to determine the stability of the periodic solutions. Numerical simulations are used to illustrate the cascades of period-doubling bifurcations leading to chaos. At last, the nonlinear responses of the two-degree-of-freedom model are investigated.     

Nonlinear constitutive models from nanoindentation tests using artificial neural networks

This paper presents a new approach using Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) models to simulate the response during nanohardness tests of a variety of materials with nonlinear behavior. The ANNs continuous input and output variables usually include material parameters, indentation deflection, and resisting force. Different ANN models, including dimensionless input/output variables, are generated and trained with discrete finite-element (FE) simulations with different geometries and nonlinear material parameters. Only the monotonic loading part of the load–displacement indentation response is used to generate the trained ANN models. This is a departure from classical indentation simulations or tests where typically the unloading portion is used to determine the stiffness and hardness. The experimental part of this study includes nanoindentation tests performed on a silicon (Si) substrate with and without a nanocrystalline copper (Cu) film. The new ANN models are used to back-calculate (inverse problem) the in situ nonlinear material parameters for different copper material systems. The results are compared with available data in the literature. The proposed FE–ANN modeling approach is very effective and can be used in calibrating and predicting the in situ inelastic material properties using the monotonic part of the indentation response and for depths above 50 nm where the overall resisting force represents a continuum response.     

On the uniqueness and sensitivity of indentation testing of isotropic materials

Instrumented indentation is a popular technique to extract the material properties of small scale structures. The uniqueness and sensitivity to experimental errors determine the practical usefulness of such experiments. Here, a method to identify test techniques that minimizes sensitivity to experimental erros is in indentation experiments developed. The methods are based on considering “shape functions,” which are sets of functions that describe the force–displacement relationship obtained during the indentation test. The concept of condition number is used to investigate the relative reliability of various possible dual indentation techniques. Interestingly, it was found that many dual indentation techniques can be as unreliable as single indentation techniques. Sensitivity analyses were employed for further understanding of the uniqueness and sensitivity to experimental errors of indentation techniques. The advantage of the Monte Carlo approach over other procedures is established. Practical guidelines regarding the selection of shape functions of force–displacement relationship and geometric parameters, while carrying out indentation analysis are provided. The results suggest that indentation experiments need to be very accurate to extract reliable material properties.     

2-D Normal compliances for elastic and visco-elastic binder contact with finite particle size effect

The close-form 2-D normal force–displacement compliance relation (binder contact law) is derived for a system of two elastic cylindrical particles bound by an elastic or visco-elastic binder based on the approach developed by Zhu; Zhu and Zhu. A new result of finite particle size effect on the compliance is also obtained. One important application of this binder compliance is in the area of the homogenization analysis of fibrous composites, and computation of the binder compliance based effective transverse bulk modulus is conducted in this article with its comparison to the corresponding upper and lower bounds.     

Characterization of the Damping Behavior of a Nanoindentation Instrument for Carrying Out Dynamic Experiments

A new displacement modulation based dynamic indentation method is demonstrated and shown to be effective for viscoelastic characterization of a glassy polymer. The analysis of dynamic experiments requires a complete understanding of the measuring system’s dynamic characteristics especially the damping. Accordingly, an improved method, based on the use of a wire spring, is developed for determining the damping characteristics. In general, damping in an indentation instrument is contributed by two elements: the eddy current damping from the electromagnetic loading coil and the squeeze film damping from the capacitive displacement transducer. Therefore, a method to determine the relative contribution from the different damping elements present in the system is demonstrated and the results are compared with the calibration obtained from the wire spring method. Finally, dynamic indentation tests are carried out on a glassy polymer to obtain the complex modulus; the values of which are compared with those obtained from bulk dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) tests. Storage modulus values are found to be in good agreement with bulk data but some divergence in the case of loss modulus is observed. The calibration procedure of the measuring instrument is critically examined in view of these observations. Overall, displacement modulation based dynamic indentation is shown to be a promising method for viscoelastic characterization at the micron length scales. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Fingering associated with immiscible displacement in a two-layer porous medium

The effect of capillary cross flows on the structure of the displacement front in a two-layer porous medium with different layer permeabilities is examined. It is shown that capillary cross flows along the curved displacement front may lead to stabilization of the displacement. Approximate expressions are obtained for the limiting finger length and the oil displacement coefficient at the moment of breakthrough of the water as functions of the displacement parameters and the form of the functional parameters of the two-phase flow in the porous medium; the results obtained are compared with the results of numerical calculations and the experimental data.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 98–104, January–February, 1991.     

Stiffness matrices of thin-walled composite beam with mono-symmetric I- and channel-sections on two-parameter elastic foundation

For the coupled analysis of thin-walled composite beam under the initial axial force and on two-parameter elastic foundation with mono-symmetric I- and channel-sections, the stiffness matrices are derived. The stiffness matrices developed by this study are based on the homogeneous forms of simultaneous ordinary differential equations using the eigen-problem. For this, from the elastic strain energy, the potential energy due to the initial axial force and the strain energy considering the foundation effects, the equilibrium equations and force–displacement relationships are derived. The exact displacement functions for displacement parameters are evaluated by determining the eigenmodes corresponding to multiple non-zero and zero eigenvalues. Then the element stiffness matrix is determined using the force–displacement relationships. For the purpose of comparison, the finite element model based on the classical Hermitian interpolation polynomial is presented. In order to verify the accuracy and the superiority of the beam elements developed herein, the numerical solutions are presented and compared with results from the Hermitian beam elements and the ABAQUS’s shell elements. Particularly, the influence of the initial compressive and tensile forces, the fiber orientation, and the boundary conditions on the coupled behavior of composite beam with mono-symmetric I- and channel-sections is parametrically investigated.     

Viscoelastic response of a unidirectional composite containing two viscoelastic constituents

Viscoelastic response of a unidirectional aramid fiber-reinforced epoxy was measured. Procedures to measure all five time-dependent material properties necessary to describe behavior of a transversely isotropic continuous-fiber unidirectional lamina were implemented. The Iosipescu shear method was used to measure in-plane and interlaminar shear viscoelastic response. Applicability of the Schapery single-integral nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive model to describe time-dependent mechanical behavior of a laminated composite material containing two viscoelastic phases was explored. Linear and nonlinear viscoelastic parameters for this two-viscoelastic constituent composite were measured and data summaries are presented in the paper. The time-dependent behavior of this two-viscoelastic constituent composite material was found to be complex, but the Schapery nonlinear viscoelastic model did adequately fit the response of such a composite to uniaxial applied loads.Paper was presented at the 1988 SEM Spring Conference on Experimental Mechanics held in Portland, OR on June 5–10.     

Rate effect on sharing of passive lumbar motion segment under load-controlled sagittal flexion: viscoelastic finite element analysis

Industrial epidemiological studies have shown that jobs requiring a higher speed of trunk motion contribute to a higher risk of industrial low back disorders. Consideration of the loading dynamic characteristics, such as lifting at different speeds, requires modeling of the viscoelastic behavior of passive tissues. Detailed systematic analysis of the effects of loading rate has been lacking in the literature. A validated viscoelastic finite element model of a L2–L3 motion segment was used to identify the load sharing among the passive elements at different loading rates. Force controlled complex flexion movement was simulated by applying load at the top of the upper vertebra without constraining any coupled sagittal rotation, whereas the lower vertebra was fixed at the bottom. The load reached its maximum values of 2000 N compression, 400 N anterior shear, and 20 Nm flexion in three different durations of 0.3, 3 and 30 s to represent fast, medium and slow movement. The global force–displacement response of the motion segment, forces in facet joints and ligaments, stresses and strains in anulus fibrosus, and intradiscal pressure were compared across different rates. The higher rate of loading while reaching a prescribed complex forward flexion loading increased the intradiscal pressure and the stress in the anulus fibers at the posterolateral innermost layers, but reduced the global displacements, ligament forces and facet joint forces. The distribution of stress and strain was markedly affected by the loading rate. Consideration of the time-dependent material properties of passive elements is essential to improve our understanding of the responses of the motion segment to dynamic loading conditions. Speed of the manual materials handling (MMH) tasks should be included as a risk factor in the biomechanical and epidemiological studies and guidelines for safe lifting.     

Displacement of oil by solutions of an active additive from a uniform stratum with allowance for gravity

Self-similar solutions describing the displacement of oil by solutions of an adsorbed active additive have been obtained and investigated [1–3] in the framework of a one-dimensional flow model with neglect of diffusion, capillary, and gravity effects. In the present paper, a self-similar solution is constructed for the problem of oil displacement by an aqueous solution of an active additive from a thin horizontal stratum with allowance for gravity under the assumption that there is instantaneous vertical separation of the phases. This makes it possible to estimate the effectiveness of flooding a stratum by solutions of surfactants and polymers in the cases when gravitational segregation of the phases cannot be ignored.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 87–92, January–February, 1984.     

Axially symmetric vortical flow of a nonviscous liquid in the semiinfinite gap between two coaxial circular cylinders

In the framework of the Hromek-Lamb equations we investigate the axially symmetric vortical flow of a nonviscous incompressible liquid in both semiinfinite and infinite gaps between two coaxial circular cylinders. The investigation is carried out for two circulation and flow functions and two different Bernoulli constants which are chosen in the form of a third-order polynomial in the flow function. This makes it possible to determine the effect of the azimuthal velocity component on the flow in an axial plane with radial and axial components of the velocity. It is shown that under certain circumstances wave oscillations in the flow are possible, in agreement with the results of [1–3] which investigated the flow in an infinite tube [1], in a semiinfinite tube with simpler circulation functions and Bernoulli constants [2], and in the two-dimensional case [3]. We determine the dependence of the formation of wave perturbations on the third term of the Bernoulli constant and on the azimuthal velocity component. The results of this work agree with investigations by other authors [1–4].Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 38–45, September–October, 1977.The author thanks Yu. P. Gupalo and Yu. S. Ryazantsev for suggesting this problem and for their interest in the work. Thanks are also due to G. Yu. Stepanov for discussions and valuable comments.     

Determination of the mechanical constants of ZnS nanobelt by combining nanoindentation test and finite element method

The single nanobelt simplified as transversely isotropic is modeled by three dimension element during the modeling of finite element method (FEM), and the mechanical constants of ZnS nanobelt are obtained by combining nanoindentation test and FEM. In the forward analysis, the numerical loading curves at the appropriate penetration depth are simulated by using the purely mechanical indentation (PMI) and piezoelectric indentation (PI) modes to extract the numerical maximum indentation load and numerical loading curve exponent, and they are used to establish the dimensionless equations related with the mechanical constants of nanobelt by fitting the mechanical constants vs numerical maximum indentation load and numerical loading curve exponent curves. In the reverse analysis, the experimental indentation curve performed on ZnS nanobelt is fitted as the power function to obtain the maximum indentation load and the loading curve exponent and they are substituted into the dimensionless equations to solve the mechanical constants of the nanobelt. In order to verify the validity, the mechanical constants are inputted into ABAQUS software to obtain the computational loading curves under PMI and PI modes, and they are in good agreement with the experimental indentation curve of ZnS nanobelt. The combination solutions of mechanical constants under PMI mode is of larger total error than those under PI mode, and it indicates that the piezoelectric effect should be reasonably considered into the developed method, which is effective to determine the mechanical property of single nanobelt.     

Response of flexure–torsion coupled composite thin-walled beams with closed cross-sections to random loads

A study of the flexure–torsion coupled random response of the composite beams with solid or thin-walled closed-sections subjected to various types of concentrated and distributed random excitations is dealt with in this paper. The effects of flexure–torsion coupling, shear deformation and rotary inertia are included in the present formulations. The random excitations are assumed to be stationary, ergodic and Gaussian. Analytical expressions for the displacement response of the composite beams are obtained by using normal mode superposition method combined with frequency response function method. The present method can produce the effective solutions for the composite Timoshenko beams with circumferentially antisymmetric (CAS) configuration and more general beam assemblages of connected beams. The influences of flexure–torsion coupling, shear deformation and rotary inertia on the random response of an appropriately chosen composite beam from the literature are demonstrated and discussed.     

Flexoelectric properties of ferroelectrics and the nanoindentation size-effect

Recent works have established the critical role of flexoelectricity in a variety of size-dependent physical phenomena related to ferroelectrics including giant piezoelectricity at the nanoscale, dead-layer effect in nanocapacitors, dielectric properties of nanostructures among others. Flexoelectricity couples strain gradients to polarization in both ordinary and piezoelectric dielectrics. Relatively few experimental works exist that have determined flexoelectric properties and they all generally involve some sort of bending tests on micro-specimens. In this work, we present a straightforward method based on nanoindentation that allows the evaluation of flexoelectric properties in a facile manner. The key contribution is the development of an analytical model that, in conjunction with indentation load–displacement data, allows an estimate of the flexoelectric constants. In particular, we confirm the experimental results of other groups on BaTiO₃ which differ by three orders of magnitude from atomistic predictions. Our analytical model predicts (duly confirmed by our experiments) a strong indentation size-effect due to flexoelectricity.     

Stability of a viscoelastic inhomogeneous shell

Shells are considered for which the constants of viscoelasticity are random functions of curvilinear coordinates of the middle surface. Correlation functions are obtained for the first approximations of the deflection and the stress function, as well as the variance of the critical time.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 1, pp. 109–113, January–February, 1972.     

Multi-axial behavior of shape-memory alloys undergoing martensitic reorientation and detwinning

Recently, a rate-independent, finite-deformation-based crystal mechanics constitutive model for martensitic reorientation and detwinning in shape-memory alloys has been developed by Thamburaja [Thamburaja, P., 2005. Constitutive equations for martensitic reorientation and detwinning in shape-memory alloys. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids 53, 825–856] and implemented in the ABAQUS/Explicit [Abaqus reference manuals. 2005. Providence, RI] finite-element program. In this work, we show that the aforementioned model is able to quantitatively predict the experimental response of an initially textured and martensitic polycrystalline Ti–Ni rod under a variety of uniaxial and multi-axial stress states. By fitting the material parameters in the model to the stress–strain response in simple tension, the constitutive model predicts the stress–strain curves for experiments conducted under simple compression, torsion, proportional-loading tension–torsion, and path-change tension–torsion loading conditions to good accord. Furthermore the constitutive model also reproduces the force–displacement response for an indentation experiment to reasonable accuracy.