Fixture for environmental exposure of structural materials under compression load

An apparatus for stressing deformable materials which comprises:

• a top plate;
• a bottom plate;
• A guide cylinder positioned between said top plate and said bottom plate;
• a load piston positioned within said guide cylinder;
• an adjustable loading bolt positioned in the center and extending through said top plate to contact said load piston;
• means for positioning a deformable material specimen between said bottom plate and said load piston;
• said adjustable loading bolt serving to apply a compression load force to said load piston;
• means for maintaining the compression load force on said load piston, said means for maintaining the compression load force consisting of two tie bolts;
• each said tie bolt extending from the upper surface of said top plate to the lower surface of said bottom plate;
• said tie bolts being fixably attached to said bottom plate;
• and
• each of said tie bolts extending through a tie bolt nut positioned on the upper surface of said top plate;
• whereby tightening said tie bolt nuts draws said top plate toward said bottom plate, and pushes said top plate and said bottom plate securely against said guide cylinder to thereby maintain the compression load force applied to the specimen by said loading bolt and said load piston.