To provide an apparatus and method for heating and rapid quenching which enable experiments on space-related materials to be carried out efficiently and accurately by increasing the speed of cooling.

The subject relates to an apparatus for heating and rapid quenching equipped with an electric furnace 3 having a built-in cartridge 2 in which a specimen 1 is contained under seal and heated together with the cartridge 2. In this apparatus a cooling apparatus 7 is provided, which is connected to the cartridge 2 with the interposition of a cooling valve 7v and in which a liquid metal is releasably contained under seal in a setup to effect rapid quenching of the specimen 1 by making the liquid metal flow into the cartridge 2 after the end of its heating.