Abstract
The University of Central Florida invention describes various designs of self-centering thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) crucibles to allow samples to stay put at a constant location during the measurement process. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measurements are carried out in dedicated systems where the mass of a sample is measured against that of a thermally stable standard. Various applications (for example, glass, ceramic or polymer processing) require precise and accurate TGA measurements to account for high-temperature modifications of materials, such as dehydration, decarboxylation or volatilization. When performed at high temperatures (approximately 2/3 melting point of materials), TGA measurements can exhibit uncontrolled variability on the order of a percent due to the motion of the sample in its crucible. This motion, caused by thermal decomposition or inhomogeneous sintering, displaces the center of mass of the sample with respect to the reference and destabilizes the balance during the measurement.
Brochure
