Abstract: An impact excitation measurement system includes a temperature controlled testing chamber, an impactor, a sensor system and a support system. The impactor is configured to, at any testing temperature within a testing temperature range of between 0° C. and 1600° C. The sensor system is configured to obtain a vibrational response of the test piece to the impact provided to the test piece by the impactor. The support system includes a bedding for supporting a solid test piece within the testing chamber. The bedding has an elasticity which is substantially larger than the elasticity of the test piece. The impactor is configured to provide the impact to the test piece at an impact height. The bedding is configured to support the test piece at a support height which differs from the impact height for at most 0.5 mm at any testing temperature within the testing temperature range.

Abstract: A method for acoustically measuring material properties of a test piece at high temperatures, includes the steps of: heating the test piece to within a testing temperature range; performing a background measurement within said testing temperature range by capturing a vibrational signal from the test piece within a calibration period, thereby obtaining a noise signal; performing an acoustic measurement on said test piece within said testing temperature range and within a testing period by: imparting a vibrational excitation onto the test piece; capturing a vibrational signal of the test piece within the testing period, thereby obtaining a vibrational response signal to said vibrational excitation, and obtaining the material properties of the test piece by analyzing the vibrational response signal, thereby taking into account the noise signal. A system is provided for acoustically measuring material properties of a test piece at high temperatures.

Abstract: The invention pertains to an apparatus for analyzing a mechanical vibratory response of a solid material sample, the apparatus comprising: an array of impactors arranged to impart an impact on respective well-defined points on the surface of said solid material sample; a sensor configured to capture said mechanical vibratory response as a time-varying signal, subsequent to an impact of said at least one impactor; and processing means configured to analyze said time-varying signal to determine the frequencies and decay constants of sinusoids making up said time-varying signal. The invention also pertains to a corresponding method of characterizing a solid material sample.