Analytical scanning electron microscope with a micro-mechanical testing device

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Research at the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering at TU Chemnitz is strongly focused on the complex interrelations between microstructural parameters and the resulting macroscopic properties. This proposal requests funding for a new scanning electron microscope with an in-situ tool for micromechanical testing. At the Chair of Materials Science, this is particularly relevant for investigations on the mechanical behavior of high-strength, ultra-fine grained metallic materials produced by severe plastic deformation, martensitic phase transformations in structural materials (like steels) and functional materials (such as shape memory alloys), dynamic processes like adiabatic shear band formation during high speed cutting or electro-magnetic pulse welding, or superplastic behavior. Different methods in the field of scanning electron microscopy also considerably contribute to successful research on the micro- and nanoscales at the Chairs of Materials and Surface Technology, Composite Materials and Material Compounds, and Electron Microscopy and Microstructure Analysis. Important improvements made recently in the field of analytical scanning electron microscopy provide new tools (for instance, Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction and low-kV-EDXS for the characterization of nano-scale phases and microstructural features) for the investigation of fundamental materials science topics. These tools are currently not available at the institute, but they are strongly needed for future research projects. The scanning electron microscope applied for with this proposal will considerably extend the methods available at the entire TU Chemnitz in terms of high-resolution chemical quantification of trace elements by WDXS. Moreover, it will particularly support the in-situ correlation of microstructural features with micro-mechanical properties, as the in-situ nanoindentation tool will, for the first time at TU Chemnitz, allow for local micro-mechanical testing in combination with a characterization of deformation, transformation or damage processes.