Micromechanical Testing

Micromechanical methods include compression, tension and bending tests, shear testing, adhesion testing, fatigue testing and fracture toughness. Thin film testing methods such as bulge testing and thermal straining are also used. This range of combined micromechanical tests is used to measure the mechanical properties of materials directly at the nano scale. In particular, micromechanical testing focuses on the influence of surface microstructure on mechanical properties, as opposed to relying on conventional geometry-independent measurements like the elastic modulus.