Scientific Insights from Small-Scale Mechanical Behavior: From Nano-Materials to Nano-Mediated Bulk Response

The 2016 Gordon Conference on "Thin Film and Small Scale Mechanical Behavior" will provide a collegial forum for engaged discussions on state-of-the-art topics in the area of mechanical behavior at small length-scales. Experimentalists and modelers together will be able to discuss and debate critical issues regarding experimental observations, computational approaches and constitutive modeling of micromechanical behavior in a wide range of materials, from ultra high-strength solids to soft matter. We aim to advance a fundamental understanding of how the interplay between sample size and microstructural content (e.g., defects, interfaces and free surfaces) influence deformation, damage and failure mechanisms in small volumes. The novel properties and size effects that arise from these changes have important implications for performance and reliability of materials in modern and emerging technologies. Furthermore, the overwhelming observation that the behavior of materials in small volumes often significantly differs from their bulk counterparts requires a critical understanding of the associated measurement itself. We will examine novel mechanical test methodologies, in situ measurements, as well as recent progress in computational methods and constitutive modeling. We will explore how coupling micro-mechanical measurements to other characterization techniques at equivalent length-scales allows a more comprehensive picture of mechanical behavior of materials. Furthermore, by recognizing that the mechanical response of bulk materials is mediated by mechanisms and microstructures at the nanometer- and micron-length-scales, we also emphasize the importance of bridging small scale observations to macro-scale predictions.