|
Surface mechanical and thermal properties objectively affect our touch-feel perception. However, it is still far from
known that how the surface properties affect the stimulus to our nerve system and make us feel warm or cold, hard or
soft, rough or smooth, etc. Physically, although the surface properties can be measured individually by different
instruments, it is desirable to have a multifunctional instrument to facilitate the investigation of the relationship between
the surface physical characteristics and the corresponding perceived touch feeling by human. In our previous work, a
novel multi-functional tribological probe microscope (TPM) was developed to provide mappings of four functions of a
surface at micro and nanometer scales. The four functions of surface topography, hardness, Young's modulus and
friction are measured in a single scan set-up and they are potentially linked in space and time to provide cross-correlation
in between. In this paper, to achieve the additional function of micro thermal analysis, we proposed a new scheme of
thermal probe with a hot wire (Wollaston wire) buried beneath a Berkovich diamond indenter. The details of mechanical
design and associated electronic circuits are presented. Meanwhile, the paper also explains the principle of the hot-tip
technique by relating its signals to established physical parameters of materials, a method that separates sample
information from the artifact caused by the indentation geometry of the diamond tip. Experimental results of thermal
conductivity measurements on certain metal specimens are discussed.
|
