Measurement of the local mechanical properties in polycrystalline samples using spherical nanoindentation and orientation imaging microscopy

This paper describes the development of novel experimental protocols and data analysis procedures for extracting meaningful indentation stress–strain curves from spherical nanoindentation on polycrystalline samples, and correlating these measurements to the local crystal lattice orientation measured by orientation imaging microscopy at the indentation site. In particular, we demonstrate that it is possible to estimate the percentage increases in the local slip resistance in deformed samples of polycrystalline cubic metals from their fully annealed condition. These novel procedures are demonstrated on Fe–3% Si samples in the as-cast, 30% deformed and 80% deformed conditions.