Influence of the aspect ratio of the micro-cantilever on the determined Young’s modulus using the Euler-Bernoulli equation

Micro-cantilever bending experiments can be used to determine fundamental material properties, such as fracture stress and fracture toughness. Furthermore, the Young’s modulus can be calculated from the slope of the load-displacement curve using the classical Euler-Bernoulli equation. However, in literature it can be frequently found that applying this technique, the Young’s modulus is significantly underestimated, especially when using micro-cantilevers with aspect ratios (bending length/width) < 6. In order to investigate the influence of the aspect ratio on the determination of the Young’s modulus, SiO2 and single crystalline α-Al2O3 micro-cantilevers with aspect ratios ranging from ∼ 3.5–6.5 were fabricated using focused ion beam milling and tested with a nanoindenter system. In addition to the quasi-static tests, dynamic micro-cantilever bending tests were performed by using an excitation frequency on top of a quasi-static loading and the results of both techniques were compared to each other. Finally, finite element analysis was used to simulate the static-micro-cantilever bending experiments and investigate the influence of shear deformation, flexing of the support and the geometry of the micro-cantilever on the load-displacement curves.