A rapid resistance heating apparatus for thermal shock and fatigue testing of oxidation resistant coatings

The oxidation-resistant coating of aeronautic engines must withstand severe thermal fluctuations that can degrade performance over time. Conventional thermal shock and fatigue tests using external heaters suffer from high thermal inertia, complex setups, and poor adaptability at elevated temperatures. To address these challenges, we developed a thermal resistance tester based on ultra-high temperature rapid direct resistance heating. This method enables fast and precise temperature control without the need for external heaters, significantly improving system responsiveness and reliability. The apparatus covers a wide temperature range (500 °C to > 3000 °C), with temperature accuracy of ± 5 °C and weighing precision of ± 0.1 mg. It is suitable for evaluating oxidation-resistant coatings and metallic materials with symmetric structures, such as those fabricated via 3D-printed topology optimization. The tester’s performance has been validated through systematic thermal cycling experiments. In addition to coating research, the system shows strong potential in the thermal testing of optical materials and components, particularly in high-power laser and space applications, where material stability under rapid temperature variation is critical.