Author(s)

Y. Katz

Abstract

Three factors have emerged in order to upgrade the understanding of ultra small volume mechanical behavior in terms of multi-scale analysis and models. Firstly, the global/local approach based on physical models formulation, secondly, the continuous effort vis-à-vis microelectronic requirements for effective material performance and thirdly, the remarkable progress in experimental capacity that requires ultra-fine features visualization and measurements beside computational abilities. The current study is centered on iron based silicon polycrystalline alloy and the mechanical characterization of 20–50 nm silicon particles by contact methodology at ambient temperatures. In both, either monotonic or cyclic, mechanical properties were size dependent. Regarding the iron-silicon single crystals, mini compact tension specimens enabled the tracking of crack-tip dislocation emissions and their interactions in order to deepen the shielding potential exploration. Deformation/fracture processes and ductile-brittle fracture models could be elaborated. The aforementioned examples in elastic-plastic crystals were still intended to emphasize conceptual insights. Higher mechanical performance is examined from emerging localized findings and nanomechanical response analysis. Keywords: silicon, iron-based silicon, single crystals, contact tests, fracture mechanics, nano mechanical response. 1 Introduction The practical sense of high performance materials deserves further elaboration. Still on a practical level, material is evaluated by optimizing the exact functional properties for certain applications. However, structural integrity or lifetime

Keywords

silicon, iron-based silicon, single crystals, contact tests, fracture mechanics, nano mechanical response.