Unique equipment
High-Temperature Optical Microscopy and Strain Mapping System
This system, developed by researchers in our group, enables continuous optical microscopic observation from room temperature up to 1500℃ (see “Themes” for details). Taking advantage of optical microscopy, which allows observation over a wide range of magnifications and under various atmospheric conditions, we have successfully captured mechanical damage and chemical degradation in a variety of materials in real time at high temperatures.
The system can also be combined with digital image correlation (DIC) to measure strain distributions. This enables quantitative evaluation of localized deformation and fracture at high temperatures, as well as volume changes that occur continuously from room temperature to elevated temperatures, such as thermal expansion and phase transformations.
