FT4 Powder Rheometer

Freeman Technology and the FT4 Powder Rheometer offer real benefits to all users of powders (5). These include ... 

A rotational shear cell instrument, such as the FT4 Powder Rheometer, equipped with a 48 mm rotational shear cell and a 30 mL shear measurement vessel. A batch of reference limestone powder (CRM 116), produced and sold by the Commission of European Communities. 

An alternative procedure, to ensure no external force is applied to the powder bed by the vaned paddle, is to place the compacted sample on a balance and when the paddle is immersed in the powder to raise the vaned head slowly until the balance reading is zero. This dynamic method of bulk powder characterisation is allied to the rheological method for measurement of the viscosity of non-Newtonian fluids and suspensions. Commercial instruments based on the WSL cohesion tester are now available in the form of the FT4 Powder Rheometer (Freeman Technology) and the Stable Micro Systems Powder Flow Analyser (Stable Micro Systems). 

Powder rheology measurements were performed on a FT4 powder rheometer. All experiments were performed at laboratory ambient temperature (24 °C) and at a relative humidity of 43%. 

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