Material Properties Solutions

Magnaflux Quasar RUSpec

Measuring elastic constants is basic to understanding material properties. This includes understanding resonant material phase changes over wide temperature ranges, absolute values for elastic constants, and diagnoses of material problems in part manufacturing.

The Magnaflux Quasar RUSpec is designed to measure dynamic elastic constants on material samples at room temperature or over extended temperature ranges from near absolute zero to about 1850 degrees K, depending on the material being measured. This is useful for investigation of material changes without requiring elaborate test jigs that will hold up over these ranges. RUSpec measurements achieve accuracies of 0.1 % or better for well made, unflawed samples.

Magnaflux Quasar makes the RUSpec instrumentation, data acquisition and analysis software, as well as sample holders for parallelepipeds and cylinders from a few millimeters to several centimeters in size.

In use, resonance measurements of a sample with known geometry and mass are taken over a large frequency range and compared to the analytical solution for the sample shape. The elastic constants are estimated and then iterated until the measured resonances make the best fit to the calculated resonances. This process is ideal where multiple samples of material are to be measured, or for measurement of a single sample over varying temperatures. (Although Magnaflux Quasar does not manufacture the high and low temperature fixtures, we can refer customers to companies that have experience in this kind of fabrication, and can provide production drawings. Quasar sample holders are designed to function at or near room temperature.)

Measurable crystalline structures include:

For isotropic material, standard calculations include: