An Introduction to Indentation Plastometry and Other Innovative Metal Plasticity Testing Technologies

Testing of metal plasticity with Plastometrex | INFORM on demand

This webinar is designed for those with an interest in the testing of metal plasticity.  The most popular techniques (Uniaxial Tensile/Compressive and Hardness Testing) can suffer from certain limitations.  Tensile testing provides the “gold standard” outcome of a (nominal) stress-strain curve, including an Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) and a ductility value, although interpretation of the curve requires care.  There can be serious limitations and difficulties with preparation of samples for testing.  Hardness tests are much quicker and easier to carry out, but the number obtained can only be regarded as a semi-quantitative indication of the resistance to plastic deformation.

Indentation plastometry allows a tensile stress-strain curve to be obtained, using a test procedure that retains the advantages of hardness testing.  It is based on comprehensive characterisation of an indent profile, combined with iterative FEM simulation of the process, allowing the true stress-strain relationship of the metal to be inferred, and hence the complete tensile stress-strain curve to be obtained.

This INFORM webinar gives you the opportunity to see a new product in action. Plastometrex offers a product comprising a stand-alone bench-top loading frame, with integral profilometer, combined with a software package incorporating inverse FEM simulation and convergence algorithms.  A wide range of sample size and shape can be accommodated, with minimal preparation requirements.  The three procedures (indentation, profile measurement and data processing) are completed within about 3 minutes.  

Who is the Webinar aimed at?

The course will be best-suited to those with at least some prior experience of mechanical testing.  This could include managers, scientists or technicians in industry, but also people working in educational establishments, such as universities.  However, prior knowledge requirements concerning metal plasticity, and about mechanics in general, are fairly minimal.

Presented by 

Dr James Dean, Chief Executive Officer @Plastometrex

James has an undergraduate degree (BEng) from Imperial College, London, in Materials Science and Engineering. He also has a Masters Degree (MSc) from Cranfield University in Thermal Power (Gas Turbine Engineering) where he was supported with a Rolls Royce UTC Scholarship. He then obtained his PhD from the University of Cambridge, with funding from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Ministry of Defence). He has since held Research Assistant and Senior Research Associate positions at Cambridge, with funding from the Atomic Weapons Establishment to support research activities in the field of indentation testing and advanced numerical modelling. In 2018 he co-founded Plastometrex and is the current CEO.

Professor Bill Clyne, Chief Scientific Officer @Plastometrex

After completing his first degree and PhD in the Materials Science Department at Cambridge, Bill Clyne held University lecturing posts in Brazil, Switzerland and Surrey (UK), before returning to Cambridge, where he was appointed in 1999 to a chair in the Mechanics of Materials. He has been the Director of the Gordon Laboratory since its opening at that time. His research interests centre on the thermo-mechanics of composites and coatings, particularly processing, numerical modelling and fine scale mechanical interrogation. Details are available at www.ccg.msm.cam.ac.uk/. In 2018 he co-founded Plastometrex and is the current CSO.

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