Development and application of a heated in-situ SEM micro-testing device

Understanding temperature-dependent deformation behaviour of small material volumes is a key issue in material science, especially the deformation behaviour of bcc metals at elevated temperatures is of particular interest for small-scale structural applications. Therefore, a custom-built heating device consisting of independently resistive-heated sample and indenter, and adaptable to existing microindenters, is presented. Key parameters of material selection, design of components and temperature control are outlined. Testing temperatures ranging from room temperature up to similar to 300 degrees C are reached with low drift and without active cooling. To demonstrate the functionality, a variety of in-situ SEM micromechanical experiments were conducted at room temperature and 230 degrees C, respectively. Examples of micro-pillar compression on single crystalline and ultrafine-grained Chromium, as well as notched cantilever fracture experiments on ultrafine-grained Chromium show assets of this powerful tool, allowing more detailed insights into temperature-dependent deformation and fracture behaviour. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.