Rheometers measure how a liquid flows or deforms.
A rheometer is a piece of equipment used to measure the flow and deformation properties of material. It applies shear strain to the material and then uses a transducer to record the resulting torque. Rheometers help provide information about a material's elasticity and structure under different temperatures and pressures. The two main types of rheometers are rotational and extensional. They are used for research and quality control in many different industries, such as food processing, pharmaceuticals, adhesives, oil and asphalt. To confirm that a rheometer is accurate, it can be testing on a well characterised calibration standard. (See references 1 and 2)
Instructions
Setup
1. Turn the rheometer on and set the temperature to 77 degrees F. Let it warm up for at least 10 minutes (See References 3)
2. Check the spindle to make sure it is not installed. Bring the rheometer head and spindle collet to the lowest position. Press the "Utilities" button and then press "Okay" to set the rheometer to zero calibration. Press the "Okay" button again to start the zero calibration. (See reference 3)
3. Pull the rheometer handle forward to lift the head. Hook the spindle on and adjust the screw so that it has room to move. Adjust the head so that it touches the plate. Wait for the spindle to reach the set temperature. Lift the head again and set the micrometer dial to zero. (See reference 3)
4. Bring the head back down so it touches the plate and turn the outer dial to zero. Lift and lower the head to make sure the dial needle stays at zero. The dial should not be turned clockwise once this step is finished. (See reference 3)
5. Pull the handle forward to lift the head and set the calibration standard on the plate under the spindle. Bring the head back down so that the spindle rests on the calibration standard. Allow the sample temperature to adjust for 15 minutes. (See reference 3)
6. Push the "Utilities" button to select the measuring system. Enter the spindle's parameters into the system and adjust the distance dependence to zero. (See reference 3)
Calibration test
7. Push the "Menu" button and select a single run. Enter the measuring system as viscosity. Set the input mode, steps and ID, then press "Okay". Press the "Start" button to run the test.
8. Look at the viscosity measurement and confirm that it is within the range listed on the calibration standard's certificate.
9. Change the measurement system from viscosity to torque and repeat the calibration. Confirm that results are within the expected range for the calibration standard. If the results are not within range, check that the temperature, the calibration standard and the spindle (See reference 3)
Tags: calibration standard, back down, Bring head, Bring head back, button select