PFI-TT: A Mechanical Testing System to Characterize the Heterogeneous Deformation of Material at Microscopic Length Scales

这个创新技术翻译合作伙伴关系（PFI-TT）项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是机械测试行业的一个新市场。拟议的机械测试系统是一个复杂的，实验能力，允许材料的强度进行测试。 该测试系统将促进下一代先进金属合金的设计和开发。通过在材料科学、工程和制造领域进行先进的研究和开发，可以更好地理解和控制材料的微观结构。 该项目将在合作伙伴所在地对一名研究生进行创业领导能力培训，拟议项目将填补机械测试和表征技术领域的一个关键空白。 建议的机械测试系统，基本上是一套软件工具沿着与支持硬件，其特征在于在均匀拉伸载荷下的微观结构长度尺度上的局部非均匀变形，以确定各种微观结构特征对机械性能的影响。该系统基于倒置显微镜，主要由智能成像子系统、特征检测与跟踪子系统和材料建模子系统组成。智能成像子系统将在使用微拉伸试验装置进行拉伸试验期间保持焦点和视野。特征检测和跟踪子系统将捕获微结构特征的变形。材料建模子系统将表征变形并导出材料属性与变形特性之间的关系。在拟议的项目中，这些子系统的技术可行性将得到证明，从而建立一个初步的原型。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is a new market in the mechanical testing industry sector. The proposed mechanical testing system is a sophisticated, experimental capability that allows the strength of materials to be tested. The testing system will facilitate the design and development of next generation advanced metallic alloys. By enabling advanced research and development in the fields of material science, engineering, and manufacturing, the microstructures of materials may be better understood and controlled. The project will train a graduate student in entrepreneurial leadership at the partners’ sites.The proposed project will fill a critical gap in the field of mechanical testing and characterization technology. The proposed mechanical testing system, essentially a suite of software tools along with supporting hardware, characterizes the local, heterogeneous deformation on a microstructural length scale under a uniform tensile loading to determine the influence of various microstructural features on the mechanical properties. The system, based on an inverted microscope, primarily consists of a smart imaging subsystem, a feature detection and tracking subsystem, and a material modeling subsystem. The smart imaging subsystem will maintain the focus and field of view during the tensile testing performed with a microtensile testing device. The feature detection and tracking subsystem will capture the deformation of microstructural features. The material modeling subsystem will characterize the deformation and derive relationships between material properties and the characteristics of the deformation. In the proposed project, the technical feasibility of these subsystems will be demonstrated leading to the building of a preliminary prototype.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.