A servo-hydraulic test rig capable of applying combined temperature and strain or load cycles has been developed and commissioned. The nature of the test has dictated the specimen form as a hollow, hour-glass type. The critical problem of a suitable extensometer for temperature and strain cycling has been solved. The device designed and produced shows negligible transient temperature effects, has a high resolution of better than 0.1 μm, and is mechanically very stable. The heating and cooling is controlled by an induction heating system with grip cooling; additional cooling is available using compressed air passing through the hollow specimen. The system is capable of following a temperature ramp to within 1°C linearity. The thermal strain associated with a temperature cycle is compensated for using a microprocessor system specially developed for the purpose, which also enables a mechanical strain-stress loop to be plotted during a test. Both ‘in-phase’ and ‘out-of-phase’ temperature/strain cycles have been carried out and development continues to include dwell periods.
