PRECISION MATERIALS TESTING
Measurement Systems for Thermo-Mechanical Simulation
Gleeble Systems integrate industry-leading non-contact and contact measurement technologies — purpose-selected for physical simulation heating, high-temperature materials testing, and advanced strain measurement. By combining these measurement capabilities with the Gleeble platform, DSI captures the accurate, high-fidelity data your materials research and process development programs demand.
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Measurement That Keeps Pace with Your Most Demanding Tests
In thermo-mechanical simulation and physical simulation materials testing, measurement accuracy is not a secondary concern — it is the difference between valid data and costly errors. Traditional measurement approaches often fail at elevated temperatures, introducing contact-induced disturbances, thermal drift, or limited spatial resolution precisely when your material is undergoing its most critical transformations.
Gleeble Systems by DSI integrate and deploy best-in-class non-contact and contact measurement technologies alongside our thermo-mechanical simulators. Rather than developing these instruments in-house, we have evaluated, selected, and purpose-configured the measurement solutions that perform with proven reliability at the extremes of temperature and deformation — so you can trust the data your Gleeble system captures.
From non-contact optical dilatometry using Green LED technology to Digital Image Correlation (DIC) for high-temperature testing, the measurement configurations available on Gleeble systems provide the data fidelity that aerospace, automotive, energy, and advanced materials research programs demand.
COMMON MEASUREMENT CHALLENGES WE SOLVE.
- Inaccurate strain data at extreme temperatures due to contact-induced specimen disturbance
- Loss of measurement fidelity during rapid heating and cooling cycles in physical simulation
- Limited spatial resolution with traditional two-point extensometers on complex geometries
- Inability to capture full-field deformation across an entire gauge region simultaneously
- Inconsistent results when comparing contact vs. non-contact measurement methodologies
- Integration complexity when adding measurement hardware to existing Gleeble systems
Three Measurement Options. One Integrated Platform.
Each measurement technology option integrated with Gleeble systems has been evaluated and configured by DSI for seamless operation across the full range of physical simulation test protocols — ensuring that what you measure reflects what is actually happening to your material.
Non-Contact Optical Dilatometer
The Gleeble platform integrates a scanning non-contact optical dilatometer that uses high-intensity Green LED (GaN) technology combined with an HL-CCD sensor. This configuration enables high-speed, high-accuracy dimensional measurement with no moving parts and no specimen contact — delivering clean data during your most critical phase transformation events.
- Twice the measurement speed of conventional laser-based dilatometry
- High-durability Green LED technology for long service life and reliable repeatability
- No-contact design eliminates specimen disturbance during critical phase transformations
- Unique tracking system ensures measurements are captured in the correct plane
- Desktop PC menu-driven setup software for rapid, intuitive configuration
- Compatible with Gleeble 3500-GTC and 3800-GTC, including the 3800-GTC-20/20
Digital Image Correlation (DIC) System
DSI has integrated a high-performance Digital Image Correlation (DIC) system with Gleeble platforms to enable 3D, full-field, non-contact strain and deformation measurement across many specimen geometries. This configuration has been validated for elevated temperature use up to 1,200°C, capturing data that traditional contact extensometers simply cannot provide.
- Full-field strain and deformation mapping across the entire test region simultaneously
- Validated for elevated temperature use up to 1,200°C
- DSI-configured stereo camera system with optimized lighting, mounting, and licensed software
- Compatible with tensile tests, SICO, flow stress compression, and custom simulations
- Licensed software delivers accurate, reproducible results for research-grade data
- Complements and extends traditional contact extensometer data for richer analysis
Contact Measurement Systems
For tests where established contact-based extensometry is preferred or required, Gleeble systems can be configured with proven contact measurement tools to capture direct two-point strain and dimensional data — combining the reliability of conventional measurement with the power of the Gleeble simulation platform.
- Proven two-point strain measurement for standard tensile, compression, and creep tests
- Direct specimen contact provides high signal-to-noise for conventional test geometries
- Broad compatibility across Gleeble system platforms and MCU configurations
- Ideal for protocols where direct contact measurement is the established standard
- Complements non-contact options for comparative methodology validation
- Supported by DSI's full service, calibration, and parts network for long-term reliability
READY TO PUSH THE LIMITS OF MATERIALS RESEARCH?
Whether you're establishing a new physical simulation laboratory, expanding an existing Gleeble installation, or investigating a specific advanced alloy development challenge — DSI's applications engineering team is ready to work with you. Gleeble specialty systems are configured for your research program, not the other way around.
