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Microhardness of polymers

This book deals with the micromechanical characterization of polymer materials. Particular attention is given to microhardness as a technique capable of detecting a variety of morphological and textural changes in polymers. A comprehensive introduction to the microhardness of polymers is provided, including descriptions of the various testing methods in materials science and engineering. The book also includes the micromechanical study of glassy polymers and discusses the relevant aspects of microhardness of semicrystalline polymers. The volume also presents selected application examples of the microhardness technique for the characterization of polymeric materials, including the influence of polymer processing, the use in weathering tests, the characterization of modified polymer surfaces, and others. This book will be of use to graduate-level materials science students, as well as research workers in materials science, mechanical engineering and physics departments interested in the microindentation hardness of polymer materials.

Online Cambridge Core

Microhardness of metals and semiconductors

Microhardness and elastic modulus of nanocrystalline Al-Zr [electronic resource].

An investigation of the mechanical properties of nanocrystalline Al-Zr alloy composites has been conducted via nanoindentation and Vickers microhardness experiments. The microhardness of the samples exhibits a four-fold increase over the concentration range of 0-30 wt.% Zr, from ∼0.7 GPa to nearly 3 GPa. The aluminum grain size is found to be strongly correlated with the level of zirconium present in the samples, suggesting that the observed hardness increase can be attributed to the combined effects of alloying and grain size reduction. The elastic moduli of the nanocrystalline Al-Zr samples are determined to be similar to the modulus of coarse-grained aluminum and independent of zirconium content.

Online OSTI