Indentation size effects in aluminum and titanium alloys

This paper presents the results of study on indentation size effects in structural metals/alloys (6061 aluminum alloy, titanium and Ti-6Al-4V) at the micron scale. The size dependence of indentation hardness is explained using strain gradient plasticity theories introduced by Nix and Gao (J. Mech. Phys. Solids., 46 (1998), 411-425). Resulting material length scales are also compared with the underlying microstructures and previously reported values in the literature. The impacts of strain hardening models from stress-strain curves on the predicted length scales are explored. Implications of the results are discussed for the modeling of plasticity and hardness at the micron-scale.

Automated summary

This paper presents a study on the indentation size effects in structural metals/alloys at the micron scale, including 6061 aluminum alloy, titanium, and Ti-6Al-4V. The size dependence of indentation hardness is explained using strain gradient plasticity theories. The study compares the resulting material length scales with microstructures and previously reported values, and discusses the implications of the results for plasticity and hardness modeling at the micron scale.