Design and performance of a belt-type high pressure, high temperature apparatus

Abstract

A modified belt-type high pressure, high temperature apparatus without tungsten carbide has been designed and constructed based on the theory of multilayered pressure vessels. The calculated interferences seem to give adequate support for reaching a high pressure of 10 GPa and simultaneously temperatures up to 1400 °C. We estimate the highest pressure reached in our experiment to be ∼17 GPa in the sample region, based on the load versus pressure curve calibrated in bismuth, tin, and lead. Talc gaskets were used along with a tubular graphite furnace for high temperatures. This represents a relatively simple and inexpensive device for material synthesis and phase transformation studies.