Pressure sensing device for rheometers
First Claim
13. A rheometer for measuring flow properties of a flowable material, comprising:
- a plate having a substantially smooth measuring surface against which a flowable material can act;
a plurality of cavities in the plate under the measuring surface;
deformable portions of the measuring surface of the plate extending over each of the plurality of cavities and resiliently deformable into the cavities in response to pressure applied to the deformable portions of the measuring surface;
a single sensor in each of the plurality of cavities, each sensor cooperable with the deformable portion of the measuring surface extending over that cavity to sense the deformation of such deformable portion and provide a signal indicative of a single deformation sensed, the deformation of the deformable portions being indicative of the pressure applied to such deformable portions and of the flow properties of the flowable material; and
a rotatable surface spaced a distance from the substantially smooth measuring surface and the locations of the pressure sensors therein to form a sample receiving space therebetween for receiving a sample of material for which flow properties are to be measured.
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Abstract
A rheometer for measuring flow properties of a flowable material includes a substantially smooth measuring surface having a plurality of pressure sensors at spaced locations therein to measure pressure exerted against the measuring surface at the locations of the pressure sensors, and a rotatable surface spaced a distance from the substantially smooth measuring surface to form a sample receiving space therebetween for receiving a sample of material for which flow properties are to be measured. The substantially smooth surface may include monolithically integrated miniature pressure sensors which do not interfere with the substantially smooth surface. Pressure sensing diaphragms formed by the smooth surface deflect in response to local pressures against the surface to enable the measurement of unperturbed local pressures of materials sheared between the surfaces. The pressure sensors are sufficiently small that measured pressures are considered to be significantly local properties compared to the size of the measuring surface.
23 Citations
20 Claims
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13. A rheometer for measuring flow properties of a flowable material, comprising:
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a plate having a substantially smooth measuring surface against which a flowable material can act;
a plurality of cavities in the plate under the measuring surface;
deformable portions of the measuring surface of the plate extending over each of the plurality of cavities and resiliently deformable into the cavities in response to pressure applied to the deformable portions of the measuring surface;
a single sensor in each of the plurality of cavities, each sensor cooperable with the deformable portion of the measuring surface extending over that cavity to sense the deformation of such deformable portion and provide a signal indicative of a single deformation sensed, the deformation of the deformable portions being indicative of the pressure applied to such deformable portions and of the flow properties of the flowable material; and
a rotatable surface spaced a distance from the substantially smooth measuring surface and the locations of the pressure sensors therein to form a sample receiving space therebetween for receiving a sample of material for which flow properties are to be measured. - View Dependent Claims (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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15-1. A plate having a plurality of pressure sensors according to claim 14, wherein the cavities are created by wells formed in the substrate, wherein portions of the wafer extend over the wells in the substrate, the portions of the wafer which extend over the wells forming the deformable portions of the measuring surface.
Specification