Development of High Temperature Resonant Ultrasound Spectrometer

Abstract

Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy (RUS) is an experimental technique that can provide a full set of elastic constants of a solid from a single measurement as well as ultrasonic attenuation in solids. This technique is based on measuring a mechanical resonance spectrum of a sample of known geometry, dimensions and mass that can be used to determine elastic constants of the solid with known geometry, dimensions and mass. Currently, all commercially available RUS system can be used only for measurements at room temperatures, while some custom-made systems allow measurements at temperatures up to 1100 ◦C. In this study, a high temperature RUS system has been developed for measuring elastic moduli of solids from room temperature up to 1600 ◦C in controlled environments. Elastic moduli of different materials were obtained using the developed high temperature RUS and were statistically analyzed and systematically compared to the values obtained using commercially available or other customized high temperature techniques. The newly developed RUS apparatus overcomes current limitations of high temperature RUS systems and further extends measurements of elastic constants in a wider range of temperature and sample size. In addition, the developed RUS system is more user friendly and allows easier maintenance and use than other high temperature RUS systems.