(V) Non-contact mechanical testing: The Creep Electrostatic Levitator for Neutron Scattering

For effective development of new high-performance alloys for applications in the aerospace and energy sectors, high service temperatures in excess of 2000 °C provide a significant practical challenge to mechanical property testing. A contactless system for neutron scattering on materials undergoing creep deformation at high temperatures has been developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Combining an electrostatic levitation furnace with a series of resonant electromagnets for high speed rotation with a controlled inclination angle, sample can be stressed with tens of MPa at temperatures up to 3000 ºC. Once deployed to the High Intensity Diffractometer for Residual Stress Analysis (HIDRA) at the High Flux Isotope Reactor, the Creep Electrostatic Levitator (CrESL) will enable in-situ diffraction on industrially relevant materials undergoing creep at ultra-high temperatures.