Characterization of mechanical properties of polymers by nanoindentation tests

Abstract

A constitutive model for thermoplastic polymeric materials and its finite element implementation are presented. The model was verified by both tensile and indentation experimental results. In addition, a five-step indentation scheme, which is able to separate time-dependent plastic deformation from elastic and visco-elastic–plastic deformations, was formulated to extract the complete list of parameters in the constitutive model. Four types of indentation tests on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), following the five-step and other schemes, were performed. Experimental data were used to extract all the parameters in the model and verify the five-step test scheme. Good agreement between the experimental results and model prediction indicate that the five-step indentation scheme is a practical approach to determine the mechanical properties of thermoplastic polymers.