High-temperature materials testing with full-field strain measurement: Experimental design and practice

Experimental characterization of the thermomechanical response of ceramic composites at very high temperatures is plagued by challenges associated with imaging and strain measurement. The problems involve illumination, heat haze, and surface contrast. Techniques that address these challenges have been developed and implemented in a laser heating facility, enabling non-contact strain measurement via digital image correlation. The thermomechanical characterization of both a Ni-based superalloy and a C/SiC composite are used to demonstrate the efficacy of experimental practices in realizing such measurements at temperatures up to 1500 degrees C. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3657835]