Testing the Mechanical Properties of Materials at Nanoscale; The Nanoindentation Method

Abstract

Within the frame of this paper a brief history of methods developed and efforts made over time, to test the mechanical properties of materials at nanoscale is presented. The development of indentation methodologies for the micromechanical characterization of materials requires a precise understanding of the correlation between uniaxial mechanical properties and hardness. Special attention was given to the evolution of the nanoindentation method.