Vertical Dilatometers

View Dilatometry Brochures Dilatometry Accessories Request a Quote

Dilatometry measures the change in size of a sample as a function of temperature. In addition to directly determining the thermal expansion of the sample, the change in size also provides information about phase transitions and physical or chemical changes in the microstructure. These can be identified by the associated changes in density and rate of expansion of the material. Dilatometry is also an extremely useful method for evaluating the sintering behavior of materials, as it records both the shrinkage of a sintered sample and the temperatures required to achieve this change. This analysis allows optimization of workpiece shapes and processing temperatures, improvement of product quality and reduction of costs.

The DIL820 series instruments are vertical pushrod dilatometers. They measure the thermal expansion of a specimen placed vertically – upright – in a furnace by scanning its top end with a push rod. As the length of the sample changes, the push rod is displaced vertically. This displacement is measured in high-resolution by an optical encoder. The length change is recorded together with the sample temperature, which allows the generation of an expansion curve versus temperature. Different furnace types are available for a wide temperature range from below -170°C to 2300°C and users have a choice of different atmospheres. Only TA dilatometers offer proprietary True Differential technology, which compensates for the expansion of instrument components in real time in a single measurement, significantly improving accuracy and data quality. The extremely fast-cooling furnaces enable unmatched sample throughput. TA Instruments dilatometers are the first choice for laboratories that require the highest accuracy and/or productivity.

The furnace design in the DIL820 has been optimized for excellent temperature uniformity and high cooling speed back to room temperature, allowing multiple measurements per day with the same furnace. The vertical configuration is the superior choice for measurements of softening samples that might sag or creep in a horizontal configuration as well as sintering measurements of powders with or without binder. This makes the DIL820 the perfect instrument for highest accuracy measurements of challenging samples.