Tender for the Supply and Installation of an Environmental Thermal Mechanical Test System to the University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham invites tenders for the supply of a thermal mechanical test system for in-situ irradiation. The University operates an MC40 Cyclotron and a neutron beam facility is currently being built. The MC40 Cyclotron can produce the proton beam energies in the range of 3~38 MeV. The proposed system will be integrated to the Cyclotron and/or the neutron beams for mechanical testing under elevated temperatures, with in-situ irradiation. The system needs to be interface with the irradiation beams at the University of Birmingham. Thus, it is expected that the system should be mobile and/or adjustable in terms of the positioning. The system shall be able to operate under different environmental conditions, such as air, vacuum or gaseous. The system shall enable the testing of flat samples, but the capability of testing samples of other geometries (such as cylindrical) is highly desirable. The system shall be able to accurately measure and control the temperate of the testing sample. The maximum testing sample temperature equal to, or greater than, 1200 oC is needed. The capability of testing at temperatures lower than the ambient temperature is a plus. The system shall be able to accurately measure and control the displacement/strain on the testing sample. The capability of remote strain measurement such as digital image correlation is highly desirable. The system shall be able to provide the maximum load of 5 kN or above. It is highly desirable to have exchangeable load-cells with different maximum loads. The system shall have a digital control system to deliver custom deformation waveforms (e.g. static loading, creep, fatigue including TMF etc), as well as cooled (using liquid nitrogen/water) grips for temperature control (essential for samples subjected to high beam currents).