INTERACTIONS TO 4000 DEG F

THIS IS A TWO-OBJECTIVE PROPOSAL TO STUDY THE OXIDATION OF HIGH TEMPERATURE COMPOSITE MATERIALS (HTC'S) IN A GAS/SOLID REACTION STAGE OF A SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE (SEM) AT TEMPERATURES UP TO 1600 DEG C (2912 DEG F), AND TO DESIGN A LASER HEATING SYSTEM FOR THE SEM TO EXTEND ITS RANGE TO 3000 DEG C (5432 DEG F). THE OXIDATION STUDIES WILL PRODUCE REAL-TIME VIDEOTAPES OF HTC'S UNDERGOING OXIDATION WITH RESOLUTION OF APPROXIMATELY 300 ANGSTROMS. THESE MICROSCOPIC OBSERVATIONS TOGETHER WITH THEIR INTERPRETATIONS WILL PROVIDE HITHERTO UNAVAILABLE INSIGHTS INTO THE BEHAVIOR OF THESE MATERIALS. THE SECOND, AND PRIMARY OBJECT IS TO DESIGN A LASER HEATED REACTIVE GAS STAGE THAT WILL PERMIT SIMILAR OBSERVATIONS OF HTC'S AT EXTREME TEMPERATURE. THIS DESIGN WILL FORM THE BASIS OF A PHASE II EFFORT TO BUILD THE STAGE AND EXTEND THE RANGE OF THE STUDIES.