A unique testing machine that examines samples as they are being tested at high temperatures and pressure, has been built by Bristol based Instron (UK). A furnace and testing kit has been squeezed into the chamber of an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) without disrupting the delicate electron beam -- giving engineers a real time view of how cracks form and grow in a material. This will allow researchers to identify how damage occurs, why fatigue happens and to accurately predict the lifetime of materials in real life situations.

Aluminium and other high-grade materials used in the aerospace industry can be examined whilst under test conditions using the new instrument. Engineers building the machine have overcome the problems of incorporating a 1200 �C furnace and a cyclic pressure testing rig into the delicate specimen chamber of the ESEM. With these special modifications, the machine is proving a useful tool in helping engineers to examine the materials in real time as they undergo testing.

PLEASE MENTION MATERIALS WORLD AS THE SOURCE OF THIS ITEM For further information or a full copy of the article please contact Andrew McLaughlin on tel: 44-171-451-7395; fax: 44-171-839-2289 or email: [email protected]