Papers by Author: Kwang Ho Kim

Abstract: The instrumented indentation test (IIT) is a mechanical testing method to determine the hardness and elastic modulus of materials by putting an indenter into a material surface. This technique has now gone beyond normal hardness tests by evaluating additional properties of materials and by allowing testing at much lower forces and indentation depths (micro/nano ranges). This study presents analytic models and procedures for evaluating tensile flow properties and residual stress state using IIT; the tensile flow properties are treated by defining a representative stress/strain beneath a spherical indenter and the residual stress by using a stress-insensitive contact hardness model. The IIT results are compared with those from conventional methods such as uniaxial tensile test and X-ray diffraction. In addition, IIT can be used as a multiscale mapping tool for the mechanical properties of composite materials and constituent phases by using macro/micro/nano indentation system: we made a hardness map of multiphase steel and measured the strength/residual stress distributions of welded pipeline.

Abstract: This study focused on the determination of fracture toughness by instrumented indentation technique. A theoretical model to estimate the fracture toughness of ductile materials is proposed and used to verify those results. Modeling of IIT to evaluate fracture toughness is based on two main ideas; the energy input up to characteristic fracture initiation point during indentation was correlated with material’s resistance to crack initiation and growth, and this characteristic fracture initiation point was determined by concepts of continuum damage mechanics. The estimated fracture toughness values obtained from the indentation technique showed good agreement with those from conventional fracture toughness tests based on CTOD. In addition, we confirmed that the proposed model can be also applied in the brittle material through modification of void volume fraction.

Abstract: The instrumented indentation technique (IIT) is a powerful method for evaluating mechanical properties of materials such as elastic modulus, tensile strength, fracture toughness and residual stress. Especially, IIT is a promising alternative to conventional methods of residual stress measurement such as hole drilling, saw cutting, X-ray/neutron diffraction, and ultrasonic methods because of its various advantages of nondestructive specimen preparation, easy process, characterization of material properties on local scales and measurement of in-service structures. Evaluation of residual stress using IIT is based on the key concepts that the deviatoric-stress part of the residual stress affects the indentation load-depth curve and that the quantitative residual stress in a target region can be evaluated by analyzing the difference between the residual stress-induced indentation curve and residual stress-free curve. To verify the applicability of the suggested technique, indentation tests were performed on the welded zone.

Abstract: The development of the instrumented indentation test (IIT), which gives accurate measurements of the continuous variation in indentation load as a function of depth, has paved the way to assessing tensile properties and residual stress in addition to hardness by analyzing the indentation load-depth curve. In this study, analytic models and procedures are presented for evaluating tensile flow properties and residual stress states using IIT. Tensile properties were obtained by defining representative stress and strain beneath the spherical indenter. The evaluation of residual stress is based on the concepts that the deviatoric stress part of the residual stress affects the indentation load-depth curve, and that analyzing the difference between the residual stressinduced indentation curve and the residual stress-free curve permits evaluation of the quantitative residual stress in a target region.

Abstract: The material characterization on the weak points of the structural systems is essential to evaluate safety accurately. However, general material characterization methods such as uniaxial tensile test and CTOD (crack tip opening displacement) test are destructive, therefore, it cannot be applied to the system in use. To overcome this problem, the material characterization using instrumented indentation technique was developed. However, current researches on instrumented indentation technique focus on the hardness measurement. The evaluation of flow property, residual stress and fracture toughness using instrumented indentation technique is not sufficiently performed. In this paper, we introduce the evaluation method of the flow property, the residual stress near the weldment and the fracture toughness developed from damage mechanics. The algorithm of flow property evaluation, the residual stress evaluation model and the fracture toughness model by using indentation were verified comparing with the experimental results.

Abstract: Flow properties and stress state are indispensable factors for safety assessment of structural materials in operation, which were evaluated using instrumented indentation tests (IITs). Flow properties were obtained by defining representative stress and strain, and IIT results for 10 steel materials were discussed by comparing with those from uniaxial tensile tests. The indentation load-depth curve is significantly affected by the presence of residual stress, and the stress-induced load change was converted to a quantitative stress value. The stress state of a friction stir-welded joint of API X80 steel was evaluated and compared with that measured by energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction.

Abstract: The weld joints in power-plant pipelines have long been considered important sites for safety and reliability assessment. In particular, the residual stress in pipeline weldments induced by the welding process must be evaluated accurately before and during service. This study reports an indentation technique for evaluating welding residual stress nondestructively. Indentation load-depth curves were found to shift with the magnitude and direction of the residual stress. Nevertheless, contact depths in the stress-free and stressed states were constant at a specific indentation load. This means that residual stress induces additional load to keep contact depth constant at the same load. By taking these phenomena into account, welding residual stress was obtained directly from the indentation load-depth curve. In addition, the results were compared with values from the conventional hole-drilling and saw-cutting methods.