High-Temperature Lab

The High-Temperature Lab is equipped with specialized high-temperature equipment, including an environmental tube furnace, a thermocouple welding station, and a dual-color pyrometer. It also houses a highly customized Gleeble 563 Thermal Mechanical Simulator, used to measure the mechanical response of milli- to centimeter-sized specimens under isothermal or thermal shock conditions for a range of temperatures, strain rates, loading conditions, and environments. This high-temperature load frame is also compatible with the high-resolution optics in the Structural Materials Lab for integrated digital image correlation during mechanical deformation.


Environmental Tube Furnace

  • operates in controlled environments, UHP Ar or forming gas (4% H2)
  • 1700°C maximum operating temperature
  • 2” diameter alumina tube

Box Furnace

  • operates in air, with hinged door useful for quenching or tempering
  • 1200°C maximum operating temperature
  • large 9 x 9 x 14 in3 hot zone

Thermocouple Welder

  • direct welding of individual thermocouple wires to samples
  • welding station, maximum 45 V
  • Type K, R, and C

Gleeble 563 Thermal Mechanical Simulator

  • uniaxial loading under isothermal or thermal shock conditions (1,000s °C/s) for a range of temperatures (25-2500°C)
  • standard grips for sub-scale E8 tension testing and highly customized grips for milli- to centimeter-sized tension testing
  • 30 kN load cell and hydraulic actuator enable tension, compression, creep, and cyclic fatigue at different strain rates (10-4–102 s-1)
  • environments: air, UHP Ar, or forming gas (4% H2)
  • two-color pyrometer (900-2500°C)