ASSESSMENT OF MATERIAL BEHAVIOR UNDER PLASMA JET

A plasma jet is characterized by high temperatures. It can be used to assess the behavior of the materials under various conditions. Indeed, besides the exposure to high temperatures, that can be higher than 2000 °C, the injection of oxygen, water or solid particles into the plasma jet can simulate different harsh operating conditions on different sample geometries.

The test conditions are initially calibrated in terms of flow rate or temperature using, respectively, flowmeter or graphite samples. Following this, the preliminary specimens are evaluated to adjust the test parameters. Finally, interesting material tests are performed.

Examples include the material ablation or the evaluation of Ultra High Temperature Ceramics (UHTC).