Patent ID: 7958777

Claim:
A test rig for testing a material under conditions of a turbine in a gas turbine engine, the test rig comprising: a hollow test tube specimen having an inner surface forming a cooling air flow path and an outer surface for placing a material to be tested; a sapphire vessel forming a hot gas flow path with the hollow test tube specimen, the sapphire vessel being clear so that the material being tested can be visually observed from outside of the sapphire vessel; an annular exhaust plenum formed around the sapphire vessel and being connected to the hot gas flow path through a window in the sapphire vessel; a combustor connected to the hollow test tube specimen and to the sapphire vessel so that cooling air passing through the hollow test tube specimen will flow into the combustor to be burned with a fuel to produce a hot gas flow that flows through the hot gas flow path formed between the hollow test tube specimen and the sapphire vessel; an exhaust tube connected to the annular exhaust plenum to discharge the hot gas flow from the exhaust plenum; and, cooling air inlet holes spaced around the annular exhaust plenum to inject cooling air into the exhaust plenum to be mixed with the hot gas flow to cool down the hot gas flow prior to flowing through the exhaust tube.