60 Years of NETZSCH-Gerätebau GmbH – Our Dilatometer – Part III

As part of our communication campaign, January is all about the dilatometer. Today, we’ll be going into detail about different areas of application for dilatometers. And don’t forget, the raffle runs until February 9th!

Patented NETZSCH State-of-the-Art Technology

Today, we at NETZSCH have the best measuring system for dilatometry. The functional setup of our measuring unit is patented in many countries and features numerous advantages, such as:

Unlimited range of the initial sample length and length change at higher resolution
Defined low & constant contact force
Shock-free and reproducible movement of the pushrod by force control regulation
Automatic recognition of the initial sample length

See here for selected dilatometers for a wide range of application fields:

The DIL 402 `Expedis`® `Supreme` represents state-of-the-art dilatometer technology: Automatic sample length determination, constant resolution over a very wide measuring range, and perfect temperature stability of the measuring system along with expanded temperature range thanks to the double-hoist furnace. In addition to this, the measuring system allows for force modulation and thus bridges the gap to thermomechanical analysis (TMA).

The DIL 402 HT `Expedis`® – 2800°C High-Temperature Version: Graphite furnaces with a maximum temperature of 2400°C or 2800°C provide the right configuration for determination of the thermal expansion of metals, alloys, ceramics and composites in aerospace, power generation, oil and gas industries, and demanding research projects.

The Glovebox Version DIL 402 `Expedis`® `Supreme` for materials sensitive to oxygen or moisture and for cases in which the user must be protected from the samples. The housing of the dilatometer is entirely made of stainless steel. Thus, there are no plastic parts interacting with the samples or the environment.

The Dilatometer Allows for Measurement of a Wide Range of Materials

Today, the dilatometer can be used to measure a variety of materials – from plastics, ceramics and glass to building materials.

Changes in glass composition can also quickly and easily be determined by measurement of the thermal expansion coefficients or determination of the Glass Transition TemperatureThe glass transition is one of the most important properties of amorphous and semi-crystalline materials, e.g., inorganic glasses, amorphous metals, polymers, pharmaceuticals and food ingredients, etc., and describes the temperature region where the mechanical properties of the materials change from hard and brittle to more soft, deformable or rubbery.glass transition temperature. Furthermore, Phase TransitionsThe term phase transition (or phase change) is most commonly used to describe transitions between the solid, liquid and gaseous states.phase transitions influence the expansion and shrinkage behavior of building materials such as concrete. These have significant impact on the statistical reliability and service life of the systems in which they are used. By means of dilatometry, investigations of dimensional changes like expansion and shrinkage, including volume changes, can be realized. These methods have been successfully employed for decades in industry and research centers, such as the European research center CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland. We look forward to many more decades of dilatometry.

Did you know?

NETZSCH-Gerätebau is also a leader in the field of low-temperature dilatometers to -260°C. These dilatometers are used, for example, for functionality tests on magnetic levitation trains.