An inert-gas furnace for neutron scattering measurements of internal stresses in engineering materials

The ENGIN-X beamline is a dedicated engineering science facility at ISIS optimized for the measurement of strain, and thus stress, deep within crystalline materials using the atomic lattice planes as an atomic ‘strain gauge’. Internal stresses in materials have a considerable effect on material properties including fatigue resistance, fracture toughness and strength. The growing interest in properties of materials at high temperatures may be attributed to the dynamic development in technologies where materials are exposed to a high-temperature environment for example in the aerospace industry or fission and fusion nuclear reactors. This article describes in detail the design and construction of a furnace for neutron scattering measurements of internal stress in engineering materials under mechanical load and in elevated temperature environments, designed to permit a range of gases to provide a non-oxidizing atmosphere for hot samples.