DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE OF AN AUTOMATED TEST FACILITY FOR HOT-COMPRESSION TESTING

The design of an apparatus for hot-deformation testing of materials is described, and experimental results demonstrating successful performa nce are presented. The apparatus is used to uniaxially compress small steel cylinders between two ceramic platens in an evacuated test chamb er at high temperatures. Components of the system include a 100 kN ser vohydraulic test machine, a compact radiant furnace and programmable t emperature controller, a microcomputer for executing mechanical strike s, and a digital storage oscilloscope for high-speed data acquisition. In the initial experiments described here, steel specimens 10 mm in d iameter and 15 mm high are compressed at strain rates up to 50/s and m aximum test temperatures up to 1200 degrees C. Attractive features of the apparatus include its relatively low cost, compact size, and capab ility for high strain rates.