Apparent viscosity measuring apparatus

A measuring apparatus for conducting a method of testing an apparent viscosity of grease. In this apparatus, four capillary tubes are connected to a cylinder and these capillary tubes are selectively opened to atmosphere one after another by a switching mechanism. When a piston is pushed by pressure applied to hydraulic oil supplied to one chamber formed in the cylinder, the grease contained in the other chamber is pushed out through one of the capillary tubes and the pressure required for the push-out is detected by a sensor. This measurement is repeated with each of the capillary tubes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to an apparent viscosity measuring apparatus, and 
more particularly to an apparatus for conducting a method of testing an 
apparent viscosity. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
An apparent viscosity of grease serves as one criteria when a pressure loss 
in a grease feed during a concentrated grease feed, performance of an 
initial torque or a running torque or a bearing and the like are 
evaluated. 
As prescribed in JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) K-2220 and ASTM-1092, 
this method of testing the apparent viscosity of grease is intended for 
that, when a cylinder connected thereto with capillary tubes is filled up 
with test grease and this test grease is pushed out of any one of the 
capillary tubes, pressure applied to the cylinder is measured to thereby 
seek the apparent viscosity of the test grease. 
In this case, in general, several types of capillary tubes (four tubes, 
normally) different in diameter from one another are used on a test 
sample, and measurements are made with the shearing speed being changed. 
However, only one capillary tube has been connected to a cylinder in the 
conventional measuring apparatus, thereby presenting the following 
disadvantages. 
Namely, from necessity of conducting measurements by using several types of 
capillary tubes and changing the shearing speed, it is disadvantageous 
that capillary tubes should be exchanged one after another during 
measuring. 
In general, since the cylinder is housed in a constant temperature bath and 
immersed in a heat transfer medium such as methanol so as to hold the 
temperature of grease at a predetermined temperature, the heat transfer 
medium must be discharged each time the capillary tube is exchanged, and 
moreover, a time duration required for conditioning the heat transfer 
medium received in the constant temperature bath again to the 
predetermined temperature is wasteful. 
Further, in order to exchange the capillary tube without the discharge of 
the heat transfer medium from the constant temperature bath, it is 
necessary to take the cylinder out of the constant temperature bath, thus 
making the burden too heavy for a worker. 
Anyway, with the conventional apparatus, in measuring one test sample, much 
time and labor have been required, the handling thereof has been extremely 
troublesome and the measuring efficiency has been very low. 
When a test sample, a possible measured pressure of which is beyond 
imagination, is measured, a pressure gauge may have a scaleover to result 
in a failure in measurement, thus presenting such an inconvenience that a 
measurer should watch the apparatus during measuring and change over to a 
proper pressure gauge as necessary. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention has as its object the provision of an apparent 
viscosity measuring apparatus capable of labor saving and automizing in 
measurement with no exchange of capillary tubes being required during 
measuring of an apparent viscosity of a test sample. 
The present invention features that the apparatus is constituted by the 
following components. 
A cylinder, in which a piston is inserted, and lid members are provided at 
opposite ends thereof respectively, whereby there are defined a first 
chamber for containing a test sample and a second chamber for containing 
hydraulic oil to push the piston; 
means for feeding the hydraulic oil to the second chamber so as to push the 
piston toward the first chamber; 
a plurality of capillary tubes each constructed such that one end thereof 
is secured to the lid member to be communicated with the first chamber and 
the other end is open to atmosphere, the capillary tubes having inner 
diameters being different from one another; 
switching means for selectively opening the capillary tubes to atmosphere 
one after another; and 
means for measuring the pressure applied to the hydraulic oil when the 
grease is pushed out of the capillary tubes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Description will hereunder be given of the embodiment of the present 
invention with reference to the drawings. 
In FIG. 1, a constant temperature bath 1 is filled up with a heat transfer 
medium 2 such as methanol and this heat transfer medium 2 is set to a 
predetermined temperature by temperature control means 3 such as a 
refrigeration machine. 
A cylinder 4 formed at opposite ends thereof with lid members 4A and 4B is 
immersed in the heat transfer medium 2 in the constant temperature bath 1. 
A piston 5 is water tightly and movably inserted into the cylinder 4, 
whereby a first chamber 6 and a second chamber 7 are defined. The first 
chamber 6 is filled up with grease 9 to be tested and the second chamber 7 
is fed with hydraulic oil 10. 
One end of a pressure pipe 8 for feeding the hydraulic oil 10 is connected 
to the lid member 4B on the side of the second chamber 7 and the other end 
is connected to a gear pump 12. This gear pump 12 is connected thereto 
with a hydraulic oil vessel 13 and adapted to be driven by a motor 15 
through a reduction gear 14. Here, the pressure pipe 8, the gear pump 12, 
the hydraulic oil vessel 13, the reduction gear 14 and the motor 15 
constitute hydraulic oil feeding means 16. 
In the intermediate portion of the pressure pipe 8, there are provided a 
safety valve 17, a valve 18 for returning the hydraulic oil 10 to the 
hydraulic oil vessel 13, and pressure measuring means 20 for measuring the 
pressure applied to the hydraulic oil 10. 
The pressure measuring means 20 includes four sensors 21, 22, 23 and 24, 
which are different in measuring range from one another. These sensors 21 
to 24 are provided on four pipes forked from the pressure pipe 8, 
respective. In the intermediate portions of these pipes, there are 
provided four valves 26, 27, 28 and 29. With the arrangement, data 
measured by the sensors 21 to 24 are delivered to an A/D converter 31 
through a switching box 30. The measured data processed in a predetermined 
way in this A/D converter 31 is indicated by a printer 32. 
On the other hand, connected to the lid member 4A of the first chamber 6 of 
the cylinder 4 are four capillary tubes 33, 34, 35 and 36 which are 
constructed according to the standards such as JIS and have inner 
diameters and lengths different from one another. These capillary tubes 33 
to 36 are connected to a five-way exchange valve 45 as being the switching 
means through spaces 37, 38, 39 and 40, and pipes 41, 42, 43 and 44, 
respectively. 
The valve 45, comprising an electrically driven rotary valve, for example, 
is adapted to selectively, switchingly communicate one end of a pipe 46 
for discharging the grease 9 to a receiver 48 with any one of end portions 
of pipes 41 to 44 which are connected to the capillary tubes 33 to 36, 
respectively. In other words, when any one of the capillary tubes 33 to 36 
is communicated with the pipe 46, communications between the capillary 
tubes other than the above and the pipe 46 are shut off. Furthermore, the 
other end of the pipe 46 is an end open to atmosphere, so that the grease 
pushed out can be poured into the receiver 48. 
A description will now be given of the operation of this embodiment. 
Firstly, the heat transfer medium 2 is discharged from the constant 
temperature bath 1 or the cylinder 4 itself is taken out of the heat 
transfer medium 2, the lid member 4A of the cylinder 4 is opened and the 
cylinder 4 is filled up with the grease 9 and closed, and subsequently, 
ends of the capillary tubes 33 to 36 on one side are set to the lid member 
4A, respectively. In this case, ends of the capillary tubes 33 to 36 on 
the other side are connected to the valve 45 through the pipes 41 to 44. 
In performing this operation, a setting must be made in accordance with the 
standards such as JIS, with care being taken not to permit bubbles to mix 
into the grease and so forth. 
When the above-mentioned setting is completed by the method of discharging 
the heat transfer medium 2 from the constant temperature bath 1, the 
constant temperature bath 1 is filled up with the heat transfer medium 2, 
and the constant temperature bath 1 is set to the predetermined 
temperature by the temperature control means 3. However, when the 
above-mentioned setting is performed by the method of taking the cylinder 
4 out of the heat transfer medium 2, temperature adjustment is rapidly 
performed because the heat transfer medium 2 is held substantially at the 
predetermined temperature. 
Subsequently, the valve 45 is operated to select the capillary tube to be 
used for the first measurement, while, there is opened a valve associated 
with the sensor having the optimal measuring range to measure by use of 
the selected capillary tube, and the switching box 30, A/D converter 31 
and printer 32 are brought into operating conditions. 
Thereafter, when the motor 15 is operated to drive the gear pump 12 and the 
hydraulic oil 10 is fed to the second chamber 7, the piston 5 is pushed, 
whereby the grease is pushed out into the receiver 48 through the 
capillary tube thus selected. 
Here, the pressure applied to the hydraulic oil 10 when the grease is 
pushed out is detected by the selected sensor, and data thus detected is 
recorded in the printer 32 through the switching box 30 and the A/D 
converter 31. 
When the measurement of pressure of pushing out the test sample for one 
capillary tube is completed as described above, the valve 45 is switched 
to open the capillary tube to be used next. In this case, any one of the 
valves 26 to 29 is switched in association with the sensor having the 
optimal measuring range to be expected, to thereby make the 
above-mentioned measurement. Thereafter, measurements are performed by use 
of all of the capillary tubes 33 to 36, repeating the same measurement as 
described above. 
The results of measurements obtained on all of the capillary tubes 33 to 36 
can be inserted into predetermined formulate prescribed in the JIS and 
like so as to seek an apparent viscosity. 
This embodiment described above can offer the following advantages. 
Namely, heretofore, the fact has been that, upon measuring the pushing 
pressure of the grease on one capillary tube, the tube is replaced by 
another tube, and this operation should be repeated several times. 
Whereas, according to this embodiment, it suffices that four capillary 
tubes 33 to 36 are previously set and only the valve 45 is operated. In 
consequence, necessity for the work to extract the heat transfer medium 2 
is eliminated, so that the measuring operation can be performed very 
easily and rapidly. 
Since it is possible to select a proper sensor as commensurate to the 
pressure to be measured out of the sensors 21 to 24, a sensor having the 
highest measuring range is used firstly in measuring the test sample, a 
possible measured pressure of which is beyond imagination, and, in view of 
the result, a sensor having a measuring range lower than the 
above-mentioned one may be used as necessary, whereby there should be no 
possibility of scaleover of the meter, so that extremely accurate 
measurements can be performed. 
In the above embodiment, description has been given of that, as the 
switching means, the five-way exchange valve 45 is adopted, however, the 
present invention need not necessarily be limited to this, and such a 
switching means may be adopted as being constituted by a switching disc 50 
and a motor 53 for intermittently, rotatably driving this switching disc 
50 as shown in FIG. 2 for example. 
More specifically, the switching disc 50 is rotatably provided in the first 
chamber 6 of the cylinder 4 and provided with a hole 51 which selectively 
communicates end portions to be secured to the lid member 4A of the 
capillary tubes 33 to 36 with the interior of the first chamber 6. The 
switching disc 50 is connected at the central portion thereof with one end 
of an output shaft 54 of the motor 53, the output shaft 54 penetrating 
through the lid member 4A. Rotation of the motor 53 communicates any one 
of the capillary tubes 33 to 36 with the first chamber 6 of the cylinder 
4, so that the opening of one of the capillary tubes to atmosphere can be 
selectively performed. Additionally, the capillary tubes 33 to 36 are 
secured to positions opposed to the position where the hole 51 of the 
switching disc 50 is formed, on a concentric circle on the lid member 4A. 
In consequence, when the above-described switching means is used, such an 
advantage is added that the measured value can effectively avoid from 
being raised by a back pressure. 
Further, in the foregoing explanation, the driving operations of the 
switching means and of the valves 26 to 29 for measuring the pressure are 
performed separately of each other, however, the former and the latter may 
be driven in association with each other by use of a known driving 
circuit. With this arrangement, the operations can be further simplified. 
The switching means may use a solenoid valve. In this case, it suffices to 
use a circuit arrangement for controlling the opening or closing of the 
solenoid valve. 
Further, the driving force of the switching disc 50 need not necessarily be 
limited to the motor, and a handle and the like for manual operation may 
be used, so that the construction can be simplified. 
The switching means, the valves 26 to 29, the sensors 21 to 24, the 
switching box 30, the A/D converter 31, the printer 32 and the motor 15 
are connected to a microcomputer through a known interface and the like, 
so that a series of operations of these members may be automatically 
performed. With this arrangement, all the measurements after the setting 
of the test sample, capillary tubes and the like can be automatically 
performed, so that the automizing and labor saving of the measurement can 
be achieved. 
Further, the capillary tubes 33 to 36 have been different from one another, 
however, only if at least the inner diameters of the capillary tubes are 
different from one another, the capillary tubes may be lengths equal to 
one another. 
As has been described hereinabove, the present invention can provide an 
apparent viscosity measuring apparatus wherein the test example is very 
easily and rapidly measured and the automizing and labor saving of the 
measurement can be achieved.