Alfred University faculty write paper for ACerS Bulletin on nanoindentation equipment, machine learning

Xingwu Wang (left) and Kun Wang

Two faculty in Alfred University's Inamori School of Engineering contributed to a paper in the current issue of the American Ceramic Society (ACerS) Bulletin discussing how automated nanoindentation can be used accurately collect and process data used in research to discover and develop novel materials.

Xingwu Wang, professor of electrical engineering, and Kun Wang, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, are two co-authors in a paper titled "Automated nanoindentation and its role in data-driven materials research," which appears in the August 2024 ACerS Bulletin.

The paper discusses a new piece of nanoindentation equipment loaned to the University last October by Budapest, Hungary-based Semilab. The IND-1500 nanoindentation system allows the users to collect data quickly, which will allow machine learning technology to develop new materials. The tabletop unit contains a number of features which reduce the impact of environmental factors-mechanical vibrations from outside sources, such as building vibrations, for example-on the data collection process.

Data on a material's mechanical properties can be automatically collected and processed with 99-percent accuracy, according to the paper. Prior to obtaining the equipment from Semilab, Alfred University researchers relied on a manual nanoindentation system which featured no automation.