Application Lab – Thermal Characterisation

The Thermal Characterisation Application Lab brings together a range of complementary equipment for in-depth thermal characterisation of materials. It incorporates measuring devices operating at high temperatures to determine changes in various properties of a material during a thermal cycle, such as Young's modulus, thermal conductivity, and changes in mass or dimensions.

EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGIES

Contact dilatometer (Tmax = 1600 °C, N2, Ar, Air, He)
Optical dilatometer (Tmax = 1600 °C, air, measurement of mass variation and contact angle)
Equipment for measuring thermal diffusivity (Tmax = 1500 °C, Ar)
Equipment for determining the Young’s modulus at temperature using the IET technique (Tmax = 1500°C, Air, Ar, N2)
Thermobalances for simultaneous thermogravimetric (ATG) and differential thermal analysis (DTG), as well as calorimetric analysis via DSC (Tmax = 1750°C, Air, Ar, N2, primary vacuum)
Mass spectrometer that can be coupled to one of the thermobalances.

AUXILIARY PLATFORM EQUIPMENT

Equipment for determining the Young’s modulus at temperature using the IET technique – Tmax = 1500 °C, Air (Mechanical and Functional Characterization Application Lab)
Thermal conductivity measuring equipment for refractory bricks – Tmax = 1600 °C, air (Mechanical and Functional Characterization Application Lab)

ASSOCIATED PROJECTS

ANDACAST: Substitute materials for andalusite-based refractory concretes
COLCAST: Improving the high-temperature performance of colloidally bonded refractory concretes
SOLHEATAIR: Development of an integrated renewable solution for the production, storage and recovery of thermal energy at very high temperatures
CHOTHERM: Determining the thermal shock resistance of refractory materials
SECANDA: Possibility of using secondary andalusite as a raw material in refractories