MIST – Mechanical In-situ Stage with Temperature control for X-ray computed tomography

X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) in combination with a tensile/compression stage can deliver great insights in the damage mechanisms of a material. As the material properties change at low and high temperatures, materials may perform differently as they do at room temperature. In this paper, a novel Mechanical In-situ Stage with Temperature control (MIST) for the usage in laboratory CT devices for high resolution - (3 μm)³ - acquisitions is presented. Since the specimen temperature is controlled by air flow, the MIST stage is suitable for testing polymers and allows cooling and heating in one test cycle (-10 °C to +100 °C). The MIST stage is a modification of the CT500 DEBEN tensile/compression stage. It enables mechanical tests that combine the application of force and temperature on a sample at the same time. A technical description of the developed stage is presented. Furthermore, its advantages compared to existing devices are explored and application fields of the MIST are shown.