A servo-hydraulic testing machine is being provided for characterization of materials at high temperatures. The materials of interest are fiber composites with brittle matrices, such as ceramic, glass and carbon, and metal matrix composites. The increasing need for applications of these materials at high temperatures--up to at least 2000 degrees Centigrade--has created the requirement for mechanical characterization at high temperatures. This poses a challenging problem for testing equipment and procedures. The machine can be modified by addition of a high-temperature furnace with water-cooled grips and an electro-optical extensometer for high-temperature characterization of materials.
