High Temperature Creep Testing Laboratory

The Advanced Ceramics and Glasses group’s high temperature creep testing laboratory.

The High Temperature Mechanical Testing Laboratory houses 16 high-temperature creep frames with furnaces capable of operating at 1600 Celsius for extended periods. The facility uses a unique laser interferometry system to measure tensile strain.

This laboratory in the Advanced Ceramics and Glasses group supports a capability in the characterization of high temperature structural ceramics and composites.

The lab supports projects directed at developing new materials for turbine engine components such as combustion liners, rotor vanes, and injection nozzles. Some tests are planned to last as long as 10,000 hours. Engine designers will use the data obtained by these tests to predict engine component lifetimes.

While the main creep frame and furnace equipment for the lab was built by Applied Test Systems Inc., the PC computer system and software to control these machines and store creep data was purchased from Virtech, Inc. Development of the laser interferometry tensile strain measurement system was a UDRI team effort.

The High Temperature Mechanical Testing Laboratory is dedicated to the memory of Robert E. Leasure, who was a UDRI associate for 30 years. Bob was a materials research technician in the Metals and Ceramics Division but is remembered most as an enthusiastic team player, an artful prankster, a loyal friend, and a loving father. The laboratory was dedicated to Bob's memory in September 1994.