Micromanufacturing Engineering and Technology

Chapter 21 In-situ Testing of Mechanical Properties of Materials^*

Fredrik Östlund, Karolina Rzepiejewska-Malyska Laetitia Philippe Patrick Schwaller Johann Michler

Introduction

The mechanical properties of small structures, typically with dimensions within the range of a few hundred microns down to several microns or below, cannot simply be extrapolated from the properties of bulk samples. This is due to two effects. First, samples used for bulk mechanical testing usually have dimensions which are much larger than the micro-structural features, such as grains or particles. Second, mechanical behavior is controlled by certain fundamental length scales. For example, plasticity in metals involves the motion of dislocations, which are hindered ...