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A shear rheometer for measuring shear stress and both normal stress differences in polymer melts simultaneously: the MTR 25

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Abstract

The MTR 25 is a multitask rheometer (for shear and squeeze flow) with 25 kg of normal force and a partitioned plate. Torque and normal force are measured at both, the inner disk and the outer ring of the plate. The first and second normal stress differences can be determined from a single test. The axial stiffness is high (107 N/m) by using rigid springs and strain gauges for the load cell. Monodisperse polystyrene (M w = 206 kg/mol, 180°C) has been sheared in the range from 0.05 to 47 s − 1. The viscosity and first normal stress difference are highly reproducible. The second normal stress difference scatters and mirrors the instability at the rim. A critical comparison is made between the MTR 25 method and the single transducer evaluation method (RMS 800 method, Schweizer, Rheol Acta 41:337–344, 2002): Both yield excellent and coinciding viscosity and first normal stress difference data. The RMS 800 method gives more stable second normal stress difference data, since the normal force from the outer ring, which is influenced by edge fracture, is not used. Data for the RMS 800 method can be acquired on the MTR 25. The high normal force capacity permits larger samples and higher shear rates than on the RMS 800.

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Notes

  1. Rheometrics Mechanical Spectrometer, manufactured by Rheometric Scientific with a force rebalance transducer for torque and normal force (up to 20 N). Electrical heating fitted (Meissner et al. 1989).

  2. The design of a low load rheometer is equally challenging. Since normal forces decrease quadratically with rate, the temperature must be well controlled to get a perfectly stable baseline. Such requirements can only be obtained with electrically temperature control, but not with convection ovens. The ARES, e.g., can keep temperature constant within ±0.05°C at a level of 200°C, which is far too noisy to even explore the full range of its force rebalance transducer.

  3. Maxon EC motor, Type 276575 with tacho generator.

  4. Manufacturer HBM, Type 1-LC11-3/350, resistance 350 Ω each.

  5. MGCplus AB22A from Hottinger Baldwin Messtechnik, Darmstadt, Germany.

  6. Manufacturer HBM, Type 1-XG21-6/350, resistance 350 Ω each.

  7. ARES LR2, manufactured by TA Instruments, Eschborn, Germany, with a force rebalance transducer and a maximal normal force of 20 N. Temperature control by a convection oven

  8. Registered Mark, version 7.1

  9. Manufactured by Anton Paar, Ostfildern, Germany, with directly electrically heated plate and radiation heating for the cone.

  10. A direct implication for the experiments is that for the signal F o to be strong enough, the sample radius R should be typically R > 1.25·R i. For the RMS 800 method (considering F i only), this restriction does not exist.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Prof. Hans Christian Öttinger for providing from theory the motivation for N2 measurements. The rheometer could not have been successfully built without the experience from Prof. Joachim Meissner’s partitioned plate on the RMS 800, which finally proved the versatility of the technique. J.M. and Clarisse Luap are thanked for their critical comments on the paper. Frank Moszner and Moritz Küng helped to perform test measurements on the instrument. Finally, the ETH Zürich is acknowledged for funding the construction of the rheometer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials, Institute of Polymers, ETH Zürich, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland

    Thomas Schweizer, Jürg Hostettler & Fredy Mettler

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  1. Thomas Schweizer
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  2. Jürg Hostettler
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  3. Fredy Mettler
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Correspondence to Thomas Schweizer.

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Schweizer, T., Hostettler, J. & Mettler, F. A shear rheometer for measuring shear stress and both normal stress differences in polymer melts simultaneously: the MTR 25. Rheol Acta 47, 943–957 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00397-008-0300-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00397-008-0300-5

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