A field indentation microprobe (FIM) was conceived for evaluating the structural integrity of metallic components (including base metal, welds, and heat-affected zones) in situ in a nondestructive manner. The FIM consists of an automated ball indentation (ABI) unit for determining the mechanical properties (yield strength, flow properties, estimates of fracture toughness, etc.) and a nondestructive evaluation (NDE) unit (consisting of ultrasonic transducers and a video camera) for determining the physical properties such as crack size, material pileup around indentation, and residual stress presence and orientation. The laboratory version used in this work performs only ABI testing. ABI tests were performed on stainless steel base metal (type 316L), heat-affected zone, and welds (type 308). Excellent agreement was obtained between yield strength and flow properties (true-stress/true-plastic-strain curve) measured by the ABI tests and those from uniaxial tensile tests conducted on 308 stainless steel welds, thermally aged at 343/degree/C for different times, and on the base material. 4 refs., 17 figs
