A SIMPLE AND VERSATILE METHOD FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF SURFACE TENSION

SURFACE TENSION IS A FUNDAMENTAL PROPERTY OF ALL LIQUIDS. THE SURFACE TENSION OF LIQUIDS DURING PROCESSING AFFECTS THE PROPERTIES OF A VARIETY OF HIGH PERFORMANCE MATERIALS, I.E.: ALLOYS, CERAMICS, COMPOSITES, AND POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIALS. SURFACE TENSION IS NOT ROUTINELY MEASURED FOR MOST EXPERIMENTAL NEW MATERIALS. THIS IS BECAUSE NO SIMPLE, ACCURATE, YET VERSATILE COMMERCIAL INSTRUMENT EXISTS. MEASUREMENT OF SURFACE TENSION FOR VISCOUS LIQUIDS OR LIQUIDS AT HIGH TEMPERATURES OR PRESSURES IS PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT. THIS PROJECT WILL STUDY A NEW METHOD TO DETERMINE SURFACE TENSION. THE TECHNIQUE MEASURES THE AVERAGE PERIOD OF BUBBLES FORMED UNDER WELL DEFINED CONDITIONS, AND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE SIMPLE, ACCURATE, YET VERSATILE. A PROOF OF CONCEPT OF THE BUBBLE PERIOD METHOD IS THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PHASE I STUDY. A TEST INSTRUMENT WILL BE BUILT TO MEASURE BUBBLE PERIODS. THE INSTRUMENT WILL BE CAPABLE OF USING A WIDE RANGE OF GAS FLOW RATES AND BUBBLE DIAMETERS; A WIDE VARIETY OF LIQUIDS WILL BE MEASURED. CONDITIONS NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE AN ABSOLUTE MEASUREMENT WILLBE DETERMINED FOR THIS METHOD. THE BUBBLE PERIOD METHOD WILL ALSO BE EVALUATED AS A TECHNIQUE TO MEASURE INTERFACIAL AND DYNAMIC SURFACE TENSIONS.