Characterization of tensile and compressive behavior of microscale sheet metals using a transparent microwedge device

The cyclic and compressive mechanical behavior of ultrathin sheet metals was experimentally investigated. A novel transparent wedge device was designed and fabricated to prevent the buckling of thin sheets under compressive loads, while also allowing full field strain measurements of the specimen using digital imaging methods. Thin brass and stainless steel sheet metal specimens with thicknesses on the order of 10–100 μm were tested using the microwedge device. Experimental results show that the device can be used to delay the onset of early buckling modes of a thin sheet under compression, which is critical in examining the compressive and cyclic mechanical behavior of sheet metals.