The effect of specimen size and surface conditions on the local mechanical properties of 14MoV6 ferritic-pearlitic steel

The paper describes multiscale experimental techniques required for determining the mechanical response of a ferritic-pearlitic steel (14MoV6). Accordingly, five different sets of specimens ranging from macro to micro size scales are utilized and whose experimental results have been compared. Digital image correlation is employed to measure deformations on the surface of the test specimens under tensile loading conditions. The influence of the surface conditions on the residual stress distribution was investigated by means of X-ray synchrotron diffraction. In addition, the effects of specimen size, surface conditions and the number of grains in the cross-section of the specimens on mechanical properties are examined. It is observed that key material parameters including the yield stress, tensile strength and elongation to failure are dependent on specimen size. In addition, the results demonstrate that the number of grains in the cross-section of the specimens significantly influence the material response during uniaxial tensile testing. On the other hand, the surface treatment of the micro tensile test specimens bring about reducing differences in mechanical properties between standard and miniature specimens.