A Hot Compression Testing Apparatus for the Study of Isothermal Forging

An apparatus for uniaxial compression testing has been developed to simulate isothermal forging conditions. The system is capable of applying 100-kN loads at temperatures up to 1200 ± 3°C in a controlled environment and at constant true strain rates between 10−5/s and 1/s. The apparatus is described and its performance discussed. To illustrate its use, results on the flow behavior of nickelbase superalloy compacts and composites are presented that demonstrate the importance of proper control of the testing parameters. The difference in flow strength of the two materials under identical testing conditions is discussed.