An ultra-high temperature testing instrument under oxidation environment up to 1800 °C

A new testing instrument was developed to measure the high-temperature constitutive relation and strength of materials under an oxidative environment up to 1800 °C. A high temperature electric resistance furnace was designed to provide a uniform temperature environment for the mechanical testing, and the temperature could vary from room temperature (RT) to 1800 °C. A set of semi-connected grips was designed to reduce the stress. The deformation of the specimen gauge section was measured by a high temperature extensometer. The measured results were acceptable compared with the results from the strain gauge method. Meanwhile, tensile testing of alumina was carried out at RT and 800 °C, and the specimens showed brittle fracture as expected. The obtained Young's modulus was in agreement with the reported value. In addition, tensile experiment of ZrB2-20%SiC ceramic was conducted at 1700 °C and the high-temperature tensile stress-strain curve was first obtained. Large plastic deformation up to 0.46% and the necking phenomenon were observed before the fracture of specimen. This instrument will provide a powerful research tool to study the high temperature mechanical property of materials under oxidation and is benefit for the engineering application of materials in aerospace field.