HEAT TREATMENT STUDIES
The following list provides an overview of Touchstone’s capabilities in heat treatment:
Touchstone has several heated pressure vessels of various capacities and temperature/pressure capabilities available for atmospheric/vacuum heat treatment, controlled-atmosphere brazing, infiltration/impregnation (e.g. polymer matrix composites), polymer curing, coal or petroleum coking, sterilization, component pressure testing, or chemical reaction research. Their specifications are as follows:
Most of these were originally designed or purchased to support Touchstone’s development of carbon foam (CFOAM™) from coal-based feedstocks. Each can be outfitted with an array of auxiliary temperature and pressure sensors to monitor process conditions or material response. A mobile computer with an 8-channel I/O card and LabView” software is configured to accept multiple process data inputs, such as that from temperature and pressure transducers, to provide a detailed log of experimental conditions. The systems can also be interfaced with gas sampling ports for gas chromatography/mass spectrometry identification of volatilized species.