Thermogravimetric Analysis With Laser Heating

Laser thermogravimetric analysis (laser TGA) is a technique that yields time-resolved data on the thermal decomposition of a specimen of a solid material exposed to a heat flux comparable to the heat flux in a typical rocket engine. Like the technique described in the preceding article, laser TGA involves heating the specimen with a continuous-wave laser beam to obtain the required high heat flux. The utility of laser TGA is not restricted to rocket-engine materials; laser TGA could be used to study high-heating-rate thermal decomposition of almost any high-temperature insulating material.