The European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA), through its European Hardmetals Group, (EHMG) is launching a new club project on micro-mechanical testing: a quantitative method for measuring local mechanical properties in hardmetals. The project is in partnership with CEIT San Sebastian, NPL London and UPC Barcelona.

The proposed project is an exploratory study to assess the ability of microsample testing to measure mechanical properties of hardmetals at the local scale. This includes the behaviour of individual features such as WC grains, WC-WC interfaces and the binder. For this purpose microsamples of different geometries (beams, pillars) will be machined using FIB and tested with a nanoindenter system to measure force–displacement information.

This project is the first stage of what could be an ambitious programme aimed at the development of robust metrology for the mechanical characterisation of key microstructural features in hardmetals.

The research will be partially co-funded by NPL so the overall cost to the project partners will be €27.12k, to be shared by the participants (minimum of four). The project is planned to start in the next few months and the duration will be eight months. It is open to all EPMA Members.

For more information contact Dr. Olivier Coube, EPMA Technical Director, [email protected] or visit www.epma.com/projects