High Temperature Mechanical Properties of the Platinum Group Metals

The platinum group metals are well suited for use at extremely high temperatures under mechanical loads and simultaneous corrosive attack. They have high melting points, excellent chemical stability and are highly resistant to oxidation. When using these materials in the design of components it is necessary to have data available on their elastic properties as a function of temperature. In this paper, investigations are presented into the temperature dependence of Young’s modulus, the modulus of rigidity and Poisson’s ratio for platinum, platinum alloys, rhodium and iridium. Measurements were carried out at the Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, using a resonance technique. Influences from both the microstructure and the alloying elements on the elastic properties and their temperature dependence were found.