Measurements of the mechanical response of Indium and of its size dependence in bending and indentation

Tension, compression, three-point bending and indentation experiments are conducted on high purity Indium at room temperature and low strain rates. The material displays a ductile viscoplastic response, found to be size-independent in tension and compression. Simple analytical models are constructed to aid interpretation of the test results and detection of a size effect in bending and indentation, associated to a length-scale of order 50-100 µm.