Irvine, Calif., Oct 24, 2013 – Nanovea demonstrates for the first time the ability to measure a continuous Stribeck Curve. Using the Nanovea Tribometer advanced speed control, from 2000 to 0.01 rpm, within 10 minutes software monitoring provides a complete Stribeck Curve. Prior to this advancement a Stribeck Curve has been shown to be evaluated in a stepwise fashion requiring data stitching. This advancement provides precise data throughout lubricant regime evaluation and substantially reduces time and cost. The test also shows a great potential to be used in different industrial engineering applications.
Learn more in this months app note: Continuous Stribeck Curve Measurement Using Tribometer
The ability to accurately measure mechanical properties, using Nanoindentation, in the fields of Life Science has recently become an important aspect of many current studies. In some cases, understanding the mechanical properties of soft biological surfaces have helped uncover the mechanical effects of diseases. Understanding mechanical properties provides a context for identifying the local mechanical behavior linked to specific changes. It is also critical in the development of artificial bio-materials.
App Note: http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/nanoindentation-tissue.pdf
PRESS RELEASE
Feb 21, 2013 – Irvine, CA – Nanovea announced today the completion of a Nano Wear Testing System capable of speeds as high as 1400mm/sec. The unique length of stroke, up to 10mm, combined with a linear movement at a rate up to 70Hz, and possibly at higher frequencies, allows speeds never before available for Nano Wear Testing.
In profilometer studies where the interface of surface features, patterns, shapes etc., are being evaluated for orientation, it will be useful to quickly identify areas of interest over the entire profile of measurement. By segmenting a surface into significant areas the user can quickly evaluate boundaries, peaks, pits, areas, volumes and many others to understand their functional role in the entire surface profile under study. App Note: http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/surface-boundary.pdf
Flaws, such as scratches, texture, pits and dents are small changes in the surface of a product or raw material that might indicate a defect. Flaws can be consistent or random and can be difficult to detect by human eye. It will be critical to not only detect these defects but to also measure at high speed with extreme precision either during inline processing or sample inspection during research. An example of this would include the detection of micro scratches. Here the measurement of depth and area is of critical interest using a profilometer.
App Note: http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/scratch-depth-measurement.pdf
Hydrogel is known for its super absorbency of water allowing for a close resemblance in flexibility as natural tissue. This close resemblance has made Hydrogel a common choice not only in biomaterials, but also electronics, environment and consumer good application such as contact lens. The use and diversity in application have each their own unique needs and requirements. One such requirement will be known and controlled mechanical properties using nanoindentation.
App Note: http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/nanoindentation-hydrogel.pdf
Scratch testing, using nano loads, has become widely used for the study of adhesion strength and marring resistance of thin films and coatings. This same test can also be used to study fracture behavior on brittle substrates similar to a marring resistance test approach. This can provide an in-depth observation of failure on delicate substrate materials at precisely controlled and recorded loads.
Application Note: http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/fracture-resistance.pdf
Traditional Puncture Tests are typically used to determine the penetration characteristics of a wide range of protective material such as films, foils or membrane. It is widely used in food and medical industries on applications ranging from food packaging to rubber gloves and needles. The test is preformed like that of a compressive test. A probe, with multiple tip selection, uses increasing load until material is penetrated and load is recorded at failure. Unlike Nanoindentation, these traditional tests were typically performed at higher loads, Newton and above, with poor load control and resolution.
App Note: http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/nanoindentation-puncture.pdf
Some thoughts on what to consider when reviewing the two white light techniques: http://www.nanovea.com/News/Newsletter/Apr12.html
Oxidation resistance is critical for metal components in high temperature environments. Exposure to high temperatures can result in the depletion of the metal with rapid oxidation and material loss. Without protective coatings, surface oxidation adversely affects the performance and durability of the metal component. For example, engine parts, turbine blades, tooling and many others. It will be critical to measure with profilometer the protective coating chosen for a given application.
http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/oxidation-measurement.pdf
Irvine CA, January 18, 2012 - Nanovea today announced the arrival of the N3 line dedicated to providing high-end measurement technology to the broader market. Nanovea has fully automated their measurement techniques while designing to price in the $20K market.
The intention of shot peening is ultimately to alter the mechanical properties of a given surface. By hitting the surface with controlled shot the surface will deform plastically. Proper Instrumentation, nanoindentation, will play a vital factor in achieving reliable and intended results.
APPLICATION NOTE: http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/shotpeen-nanoindentation.pdf
Shot peening is a process by which a substrate is impacted with round metal, glass or ceramic beads, also known as shot, at a force intended to create plasticity on the surface. The characteristics present prior to and after the peening process provides vital information to better the understanding and control of the process. Among many others, surface roughness and dimple coverage area left by the shot, are of particular interest using a profilometer.
App Note: http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/shotpeenedsurface.pdf
Viscoelasticity can be studied using Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) during Nanoindentation. By applying controlled oscillatory stress the resulting strain can easily be measured. An elastic material will have stress and strain in phase while a viscous-elastic material will have strain lagging stress. In many applications during quality control and R&D, it is important to reliably test this behavior. For example, polymer coatings, like that found on solar panels and medical devices, need to be studied by DMA Nanoindentation to understand the transition between viscous and elastic properties. The behavior of polymers is greatly affected by time and temperature which can greatly affect the long term longevity of a device if the properties are not well understood. These results will be used to better understand the life cycle of the polymer coating among others.
Application Note: http://www.nanovea.com//Application%20Notes/nanoindentation-dma.pdf
Microindentation hardness mapping has been widely used to assess the variation of mechanical properties across a large surface area. However, with the study of applications such as glass it is the crack initiation that is of particular interest. It is for this reason that acoustic emission can be used during the mapping of indents to not only map hardness but also map the crack initiation values over the surface area. Using acoustic emission proves to be a critical tool during the study of applications where micro fracture is of primary concern.
Application Note: http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/microindentationmapping.pdf
When lubrication is applied to reduce the wear/friction of moving surfaces an increasing load can shift the lubrication from several regimes such as Boundary, Mixed and Hydrodynamic Lubrication. The fluid viscosity, the load that is carried by the two surfaces and the speed that the two surfaces move relative to each other combine to determine the thickness of the fluid film. It is this process that determines the lubrication regime. How the regimes react to friction is shown in what is called a Stribeck curve. To evaluate lubricants, and their reaction with applications the Stribeck Curve can be identified using a Pin On Disk Tribometer.
http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/stribeckcurvetribology.pdf
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 14, 2011 – Irvine, CA – Nanovea today introduced its patent pending breakthrough method of reliably acquiring yield strength through indentation; ultimately replacing the traditional tensile testing machine for yield strength measurement.
Traditionally yield strength has been tested by using a tensile testing machine, a large instrument requiring enormous strength to pull apart metal, plastic and others. The yield strength (also known as yield point) of a material in engineering (and or materials science) is the point of stress that a material starts to deform plastically. Before reaching the yield point a material will deform elastically but returns to its original shape when stress is removed. A crucial material property for nano and micro related materials found in advancing industries such as biomedical, microelectronics, energy and many others. Until now the most reliable way took large machine effort, sample preparation, and or was impossible to perform on small samples and localized areas.
By using Nanovea’s Mechanical Tester in indentation mode, using a cylindrical flat tip, yield strength data can be easily obtained. For years now, the indentation test has been used for hardness and elastic modulus measurements. There has traditionally been an issue with linking macro tensile properties to what was measured during an indentation test. Many studies measuring with spherical tips have allowed stress-strain curves but were never able to give reliable tensile yield strength data that corresponded directly to macro tensile data. Nanovea’s patent pending method, using a cylindrical flat tip, gives yield strength directly comparable to what is measured by traditional means. It is believed that the load per surface area at which the cylindrical flat tip penetrates, at increased speed, is directly linked to the load versus surface area at which the material starts flowing in a tensile mode test. Therefore, reliable yield strength results on an endless list of materials, small or large has never before been as obtainable until now.
"This is just another addition, on a long and growing list, of what can be tested with our Mechanical Tester," said Pierre Leroux, Nanovea’s CEO. While this specific test is a breakthrough of great importance, it is ultimately just another reason why the Nanovea Mechanical Tester has the widest testing capability of any mechanical testing system.
For application note visit: Breakthrough Indentation Yield Strength Testing
-END-
Fractography is the study of features examined on fracture surfaces and has historically been investigated via Microscope or SEM. Microscope being used for macro scale analysis and SEM particularly when it is the nano or microstructure that is vital to the analysis. Both ultimately allowing for the identification of the fracture mechanism type. Although effective, the Microscope clearly has its limitations and the SEM in most cases, other than atomic level analysis, is unpractical for fracture surface measurement and lacks broad use. With advances in optical measurement technology, the 3D Non Contact Profilometer is now the instrument of choice, providing nano through macro scale 2d & 3D surface measurement.http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/fractography3dmetrology.pdf
The ability of a material to resist cracking, or fracture, has been vital to the studies of fracture mechanics. Until recently the study of fracture toughness has been analyzed at a macro range using powerful instrumentation applied to large samples. Now using the precise capability of a Nanoindentation system, among many other properties, fracture toughness can be studied with a safe and user friendly system on small and localized areas of samples.http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/nanofracturetoughness.pdf
Creep can be characterized as the result of a solid material that is slowly and permanently deformed under the influence of stress. Deformation results from the consistent stress below the yield strength of the material. The amount of applied stress and its duration can eventually lead to the failure of the given material. Ultimately, it is for this reason that Nanoindentation creep measurement provides crucial information to study material behavior. More importantly, nano & micro advances with materials require mechanical characterization unattainable through traditional Creep measurement methods intended for largebulk materials.
http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/nanocreepmeasurement.pdf
As the validity of Instrumented Indentation continues to expand throughout all materials research, many throughout the community are still unclear as to what exactly can be achieved. Although advances in technology will continue to grow the list of capabilities of Instrumented Indentation, we will review a list of what can be expected as of now. But first lets quickly review how Instrumented Indentation works.
An Indentation System utilizes high-resolution instrumentation to continuously monitor and control the displacement of the indenter as it enters and pulls back from the material. The software then applies various loading algorithms including sinus mode and multi-cycle testing. The data points collected during the indentation are plotted directly as depth versus load and unload curve. All of this data, depending on software function, can then be analyzed by any number of specifically known, or custom, algorithms to determine an endless list of other useful material properties other than just hardness. Therefore, in essence, the Instrumented Indentation system can evolve based on the instructions, or algorithms given.
During a standard Instrumented Indentation test: Hardness, Elastic modulus, Work of Indentation, Volume of indent, Maximum Stress & Maximum Strain, Plastic Work & Elastic Work and % of Plastic work in relation to the total work of indentation are obtained. More specific tests can include Creep, Stress-Strain & Yield Stress, Fracture Toughness, Compression strength and Fatigue testing and many others. As you can see, there are endless uses for the Instrumented Indentation technique which ultimately makes educating in its totality very difficult. For example, after all that has been said, now keep in mind that this can be done at the nano through macro range and that the Nanovea Mechanical Tester also provides scratch and wear testing modes; its a lot to swallow. And it is for this very reason that the Nanovea Mechanical Tester has widest testing capability of any Instrumented Indentation system in world. http://www.nanovea.com/MechanicalTesters.html
The Stress-Strain curve obtained by Nanoindentation reveals the correlation of "Stress" and"Strain" of a given material under nano controlled loads. Unlike the traditional Tensile Testing method of obtaining Stress-Strain curve data, which gives data at a macro level, the Nanoindentation method provides vital Stress-Strain curve data at nano level scale without the large and intense machinery. The Stress-Strain curve of various materials will vary widely. Ultimately, the Stress-Strain curve provides crucial information on the threshold between elastic and plastic-elastic behavior zone as the sample is subject to increasing loads.
http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/nanostressstrain.pdf
The use of Microindentation has proven to be a crucial tool for rock mechanics related studies. For example, Microindentation has been used to advance studies in excavation by allowing further understanding of rock mass properties and its separation. Microindentation has been used to advance drilling studies to improve drill heads and improve drilling procedures. Microindentation has also been used to study chalk and powder formation from minerals. With the use of Microindentation studies can include Hardness, Young’s Modulus, Creep, Stress-Strain, Fracture Toughness, Compression and others with a single instrument.
Application Note: http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/microindentationofrock.pdf
Paper surface topography is vital to the intended use and quality of the product. To control paper product quality it will heavily rely upon quantifiable, reproducible and reliable surface measurement. Precise surface measurement and evaluation of a paper product can lead to the best selection of processing and control measures. The Nanovea 3D Non-Contact Profilometer utilize chromatic confocal technology with unmatched capability to measure paper surfaces. Where other techniques fail to provide reliable data, due to probe contact, surface variation, angle and reflectivity, Nanovea Profilometers succeed.
Application Note: http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/paperroughness.pdf
While R&D topics continue
to lead as a beacon for economic recovery, a crucial part of the R&D process
continues to receive little to no attention. And make no mistake, you are about
to learn of the single most important factor in the advancement of new or
improved material technologies around the world.
One of the major concerns for composite material is it’s durability in final form. The size of particles that form the strengthening additive can drastically affect the overall final performance of the composite material. By using the nano scratch testing method the failure of composite material can be compared to identify the most durable formula.
APPLICATION NOTE: http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/compositenanoscratch.pdf
To ensure the quality levels of applications spanning across nearly all industries, most R&D units have or are in the process of obtaining or updating their instruments to include surface measurement at various range. This would ensue before an exhausting list of instrument
options would have to be comparatively matched to fit user specific measurement requirements. Once the instrument is selected, it is only later that the user then identifies that their chosen instrument is not capable of broad and or expandable measurement use. It is
unfortunate that only at this point most recognize the true value of a single surface measurement instrument with broad capability from Macro through Angstrom range.
APPLICATION NOTE: http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/afmintegration.pdf
The competitive field of Nanoindentation measurement is commonly decided upon depth and load specifications. Competing Nanoindentation instruments list resolution capabilities from the Pico to the Micro ranges. Unfortunately, these specifications are sometimes intentionally misleading. When Depth Resolution is specified in the Pico range, it suggests that depth is controlled and measured at hundredth of an Angstrom. Keeping in mind that an atom is between 62 and 520 pm in diameter, it is doubtful that any Nanoindentation instruments can measure in this range taking in to account the normal vibration movement of an atom and adding a minimum vibration noise coming from the environment caused by electrical or mechanical noises.
Let’s take the example of a 1m ruler, the 1m would be the full depth range of an instrument. An acquisition card of an instrument would define the capability to create lines on the ruler. So an acquisition card of 10bits would be 210 lines or 1024 lines and a 16bits would be 216 lines or 65536 lines. Dividing the ruler by these will give respective resolutions of 0.00097m or 0.97mm and 0.000015m or 0.015mm. In this example, our eye would be the sensor and in the case of the Nanoindentation instrument, it would be the capacitor. For the case of the ruler, it is clear that our eye will be able to see the split line of 1mm but will not be able to read the 0.015mm.Therefore, even if we were able to increase the number of line to let’s say 20bits, we would not add any improvement to the usefulness of the ruler. Now with powerful acquisition cards, it is often the case that these are not the limit factor in terms of what can be reached. The sensors sometime are, but in the case of a capacitor we can also get to the physical limit and environmental conditions. Going back to our ruler, even if our eyes were better and we were able to read to 0.9micron (20bit), a part vibrating at 10micron would not allow us to measure better than this 10micron “noise”. This logic is valid also for the load resolution listed for Nanoindentation instruments.
There is strong incentive for manufacturers to list the best “even if not based on reality” resolutions. For example, competitive bids where purchasing agents don’t have the technical knowledge to understand that these resolutions are not indications of actual sensitivity, resulting in the elimination of some bidders based solely on skewed resolutions. Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done about this. The concern is when the main deciding engineer or scientist is not aware of this truth on specifications, they may ignore the best choice for their projects. Therefore it is crucial to understand standard noise level, also called resolution noise level, actual point of contact and minimum “maximum” load on hard and soft materials. This will give a much better account of the capability of a nanoindentation instrument. In the end, nothing overshadows a demonstration on your own samples and the comparative testing data.
Therefore, in review, a Nanoindentation instrument provider listing Pico through Micro range depth resolution should be questioned. The next time you are in the market for a Nanoindentation instrument, it is crucial that your chosen provider clearly demonstrates the ability to control depth and noise at the given range required for your applications.
Please visit Mechanical Testers for more information on Nanovea Nanoindentation.
New advancement in technology continues to alter component size and their surface properties across practically all industries. In particular, advances with biomedical and microelectronic components and the crucial understanding of their surface interaction. For industries requiring the precision of sensitive surface structure, it is vital that modification of the material surface is controlled and provides the intended surface interaction. Sensitive component surfaces and or their size, has made tribological study difficult, enabling proper identification of wear/friction results for research and quality control purpose. Thus, furthering the need for reliable identification of wear/friction surface interaction at smaller loads and on smaller applications.
APPLICATION NOTE: http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/nanoweartribology.pdf
Adhesives are intended for direct contact with another surface to create varying levels of bond. These varying levels of bond, or strength, can be directly attributed to the surface area over which the two materials contact. At the nanometer level an otherwise flat appearing surface may in fact be uneven and rough altering the strength of the adhesive bond. It is for this very reason, using a profilometer, adhesive surface topography should be closely monitored during R&D and quality control to achieve intended adhesive strength.
APPLICATION NOTE: http://www.nanovea.com/Application%20Notes/adhesivetopography.pdf