Symposium CM3-Mechanics and Tribology at the Nanoscale—In Situ and In Silico Investigations

Mechanical and tribological behavior at the nanoscale are often studied in isolation. Yet, insights into tribology require an understanding of elastic and inelastic deformation of the sub-surface material, while deformation experiments can rarely be carried out without consideration of interfacial phenomena occurring at contacts between components. In this symposium, we bring together experimentalists and theoreticians working on aspects of plasticity, hardness, fracture toughness, and fatigue, as well as contact, friction, adhesion, and wear, to encourage and nucleate interaction between these two fields.

Mechanical properties (such as yield strength and fracture toughness) as well as tribological properties (such as friction coefficient and wear rate) emerge from the complex interplay of nano- or Angstrom-scale mechanisms. Modern high-performance structural materials, as well as advanced device and manufacturing applications, make use of the specific behavior of materials confined to nanoscale geometries and nanoscale surface contacts. Starvation of defects, small-scale rearrangements and chemical reactions (between contacting surfaces or with the environment) govern the behavior of these components. Micro- and nano-mechanical tension/compression experiments, as well as scanning probe techniques, represent methods for the experimental study of these small-scale mechanisms. At the same time, simulation methodologies such as molecular dynamics or discrete dislocation dynamics usually work at a length scale that is directly comparable to that of nanomechanics, revealing microscopic processes with atomic resolution. Experimental and simulation studies into nanoscale deformation, contact, and sliding, enable unprecedented insights into the fundamental processes governing material behavior.

Submission of contributions from any of these and closely related fields are encouraged. Materials of interest can include but are not limited to metals, metallic or oxide glasses, ceramics, and polymers. Experimental techniques include nano-/micro-tension or compression testing, in isolation or in combination with electron microscopy, as well as scanning probe-based investigations. Modeling approaches include molecular dynamics and statics, discrete dislocation dynamics as well as advanced analysis and simulation techniques, such as for example dislocation extraction algorithms and time acceleration techniques.

• Computational investigation on deformation mechanisms
• The interaction of deformation mechanisms and free surfaces in nanoscale geometries
• Modern techniques for analyzing and quantifying output of complex molecular dynamics and dislocation dynamics simulations
• Measuring and predicting the size and geometry of contact as a function of load
• Predicting the location and onset of inelastic deformation in contacts between nanoscale devices
• The fundamental origins of friction in wearing and wear-free contacts
• The fundamental origins of wear and its relation to plasticity and chemical reactions at surfaces
• Bridging the gap between nanoscale contacts and the macroscopic multi-asperity contact
• Small scale mechanical testing (e.g. compression, tension, bending, fatigue)
• In situ observations of dislocation activities, deformation twinning, phase transformation and shear-band formation
• Environmental effect (e.g. gaseous, temperature, strain rate) on mechanical properties of materials at small scale

• CM3_Mechanics and Tribology at the Nanoscale—In Situ and In Silico Investigations _0 (University of Pennsylvania, USA)
• CM3_Mechanics and Tribology at the Nanoscale—In Situ and In Silico Investigations _1 (Toyko University, Japan)
• CM3_Mechanics and Tribology at the Nanoscale—In Situ and In Silico Investigations _2 (University of Pennsylvania, USA)
• CM3_Mechanics and Tribology at the Nanoscale—In Situ and In Silico Investigations _3 (California Institute of Technology, USA)
• CM3_Mechanics and Tribology at the Nanoscale—In Situ and In Silico Investigations _4 (Fraunhofer IWM, Germany)
• CM3_Mechanics and Tribology at the Nanoscale—In Situ and In Silico Investigations _5 (Helmholtz-Zentrum Geeshacht, Germany)
• CM3_Mechanics and Tribology at the Nanoscale—In Situ and In Silico Investigations _6 (University of Pittsburgh, USA)
• CM3_Mechanics and Tribology at the Nanoscale—In Situ and In Silico Investigations _7 (University of California, Merced, USA)
• CM3_Mechanics and Tribology at the Nanoscale—In Situ and In Silico Investigations _8 (University of California, Berkeley, USA)
• CM3_Mechanics and Tribology at the Nanoscale—In Situ and In Silico Investigations _9 (University of Michigan, USA)
• CM3_Mechanics and Tribology at the Nanoscale—In Situ and In Silico Investigations _10 (Johns Hopkins University, USA)
• CM3_Mechanics and Tribology at the Nanoscale—In Situ and In Silico Investigations _11 (TU Darmstadt, Germany)
• CM3_Mechanics and Tribology at the Nanoscale—In Situ and In Silico Investigations _12 (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA)