A Large Volume Multi-Anvil Apparatus for the Earth Sciences Community in Taiwan

A modified DIA type multi-anvil apparatus was installed in the Department of Earth Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan. This modified DIA multi-anvil system is used with a hydraulic press that generates loads of up to 1000 tons and is the first multi-anvil press installed for geoscience research in Taiwan. In this paper, the geometry of the high-pressure apparatus is briefly described and the pressure calibration performed in the press is reported. The thermal behaviors of various pressure mediums, boron-epoxy, zirconia, and mullite, are also compared. Pressure calibrations at room temperature were performed with different cell designs, paying special attention to the so called ¡§D¡¨ factor, which is defined as the ratio of diagonal length of the cell assembly cube to the diameter of the cavity hole. For a given cell design, the sample-pressure efficiency for the three materials examined was similar. Calibrations with different cell designs showed that increasing the ¡§D¡¨ value results in greater pressure generation efficiency. By comparing the deformation behavior at high temperatures (up to 1200°C), the semi-sintered mullite and zirconia appeared to be better pressure mediums compared to boron-epoxy