Ta Instruments-Waters LLC

Sally Childears

Reginald Lee

Peter Foster

Alina Latshaw

Amit Ahuja

Described is a device for removal of excess material from a test sample. The test sample may be used in an instrument for measurement of rheological and mechanical properties sample properties. The device includes a test geometry and a trimming ring. The test geometry includes a lower geometry and upper geometry each having a circular outer edge and being centered on an axis of rotation. The trimming ring has a sidewall, a ring axis coincident with the axis of rotation and at least one cutting edge disposed along at least a portion of a circumference of the trimming ring at a diameter that is at least as great as a diameter of one or both the lower geometry and the upper geometry. The device further includes an actuator coupled to the trimming ring and configured to translate the trimming ring in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation.

Device for removal of excess material from a test sample

A rheological system includes a sample chamber, a compressed air system configured to provide compressed air to pressurize the sample chamber, and a rotor configured for rheological measurement of a material with variable volume, the rotor including an elongated shaft extending to a measurement portion having a widened geometry relative to the elongated shaft. The rotor is dimensioned such that a compression ratio of at least 5 to 1 is achievable while maintaining material cover of the sample over the entirety of the measurement portion of the rotor, the compression ratio being defined by a decompressed volume of a sample when the sample chamber is not pressurized to a compressed volume of the sample when the sample chamber is pressurized. Methods of taking rheological measurements with such a rotor are also disclosed.

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Dover, DE, United States of America

Sally Childears