A Novel Hybrid Heating Method for Mechanical Testing of Miniature Specimens at Elevated Temperature

Abstract

A novel hybrid heating method which combines the conventional electric-resistance specimen heating with microcoil heating of specimen ends to achieve uniform heating over the gauge length is presented. Resistive heating of a miniature specimen develops a parabolic temperature profile with lowest temperature at the grip ends because of the heat loss to the gripper. Coil heating at the specimen ends compensates for this heat loss resulting in uniform temperature distribution over the central segment of the specimen. Thermo-electric finite element simulations were carried out to analyze the transient and steady temperature distribution in miniature specimens followed by experimental validation.