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as the high temperature furnace and extensometer are simply swiveled out of the test area. Testing systems from ZwickRoell feature optimal coordination of furnac- es including temperature controllers, correct specimen grips for tensile and flexure tests, and the appropriate extensometer. With the videoXtens (up to 1200°C) video extensometer and the laserXtens (up to 1800°C) based on the laser speckle principle, ZwickRoell offers two noncontact measuring solutions ideallysuited tohigh-temper- ature tensile testing. These systems offer distinct advantages, particularly when used with sensitive specimens at high temperatures in air or vacuum environments. The combination of fur- nace volume, temperature tolerances and hold times specified in the stan- dard, and heating and cooling times determine the testing duration. M etallic and ceramic high- temperature materials rep- resent a fundamental area of research within the en- ergy and transportation industries. The overall efficiency of power plants and aircraft turbines depends on the per- formance of these materials. Testing these materials is of critical impor- tance to ensure their performance, and one of the leading manufacturers of testing systems for high temperature materials is ZwickRoell. For energy conversion systems with single-cycle operation (e.g., steam or gas turbine power plants and in- ternal combustion engines) as well as in multi-cycle systems (e.g., gas and steam turbine combined power plants), higher thermal ef- ficiencies and thereby lower CO 2 emissions can only be achieved by increasing process temperatures and pressures. This also applies to aircraft turbines. Traditional metallic and ceram- ic materials—such as those used in compressors, turbines, combustion chambers, and boilers—must be fur- ther developed and improved. Metallic materials are increasingly subjected to corrosive loading at elevated tem- peratures due to the atmosphere in which they operate. Therefore, it is vital that the materials are protected. One approach is to form a passivation layer through the material itself: In the high temperature range, oxides from chromium (Cr 2 O 3 , up to approximately 900°C), aluminum (Al 2 O 3 , up to approx- imately 1500°C) and silicon (SiO 2 , up to approximately 1800°C) are best suited for use as protective coatings. Optimized materials development requires a thorough understanding of the correlation between chemical com- pounding,microstructures,mechanical properties, and long-term stability. To ensure the economical use of costly high-performance materials, material characteristics under practical loading must be determined, e.g., tensile loading, fracture mechanical behavior, creep, fatigue, and thermo-mechanical fatigue. Models for durability forecast- ing under complex loading also must be calculated. Thermomechanical Testing High temperature tests (e.g., tensile and flexure tests) are used to determine the thermal-elastic behavior, heat resistance, and recrys- tallization temperature of materials. It is common practice to install the high temperature unit (up to 2000°C) directly in the materials testing ma- chine. This arrangement allows tensile tests to be performed at both room temperature to ISO 6892-1 or ASTM E8, and at elevated temperatures to ISO 6892-2 or ASTM E21. During room temperature testing, components such High-temperature tensile test on metal specimen with induction heating. Testing systemwith high-temperature carousel (four furnaces). DEVELOPING HIGH TEMPERATURE MATERIALS Testing at temperatures up to 2000°C is essential for designing materials that can handle the heat. SPONSORED CONTENT For more information on high temperature materials testing systems, contact ZwickRoell at 770.420.6555 / www.zwickroell.com .