Patent ID: 6023962
Filing Date: 2000-02-15
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
An apparatus for testing the rheological properties of resins at a wide range of shear rate, degree of cure, and temperature, comprising:a) a mold comprising:i) a first plate having upper and lower surfaces and at least one orifice for the passage of the resins from the upper surface to the lower surface;ii) a second plate of a predetermined thickness located below said first plate in alignment therewith, having at least one central opening, the size of the opening and the thickness of the second plate being selected to form a mold cavity, each central opening being located beneath an orifice in the first plate: the second plate also having a slit of predetermined size communicating from each central opening through a side of the second plate; andiii) a third plate located below and in alignment with said second plate, having upper and lower surfaces;b) means for clamping the first, second, and third plates together such that the lower surface of the first plate and the upper side of the third plate enclose the opening in the second plate, forming the mold cavity;c) injection means for supplying the resin under a controlled pressure, having an output connected to at least one of the orifices in the first plate; andd) means for heating the resin in the mold cavity to a preselected temperature;such that the injection means injects the resin under a controlled pressure through an orifice in the first plate into the mold cavity, the heating means heats the resin to the preselected temperature, and the resin flows out of the mold cavity through the slit.