Time-Resolved Force Measurements to Determine Positioning Tolerances for Impulse-Based Indentations

High-throughput experimentation methods determine characteristic values, which are correlated with material properties by means of mathematical models. Here, an indentation method based on laser-induced shock waves is presented, which predicts the material properties, such as hardness and tensile strength, by the induced plastic deformation in the substrate material. The shock wave pushes a spherical indenter inside a substrate material. For reproducible indentations, the applied load is of importance. To compare different processes and process parameters, the measured plastic deformation is normalized by the applied load. However, eccentric irradiation leads to altered beam profiles on the surface of spherical indenters and the angle of incidence is changed. Thus, the influence of eccentric irradiation is studied with an adapted time-resolved force measurement setup to determine the required positioning tolerances. The spherical indenter is placed inside a cylindrical pressure cell to increase the laser-induced shock pressure. From the validated time-resolved force measurement method we derive that deviations from the indentation forces are acceptable, when the lateral deviation of the beam center, which depends only on the alignment of the setup, does not exceed ± 0.4 mm. A vertical displacement from the focus position between -3.0 mm and + 2.0 mm still leads to acceptable deviations from the indentation force.