描述

Purpose and scope

It is used to measure temperature when the asphalt change soft, so that to determine the viscosity and heat resistance. It is suitable to determine softening point of petroleum asphalt, viscous shale tar pitch, hard coal tar pitch, and soft coal tar pitch.

Main technical specifications

Weight of steel ball: 3.5 g ±0.05 g;
Diameter of steel ball: 9.50 mm;
Beaker: 800 ml (Diameter is 90 mm, and height is not less than 140 mm);
Power supply: AC 220V 50 Hz;

Operation methods

Put copper ring on a metal plate, which is covered by separation agent.
Heat asphalt specimen to melt (a temperature which is 100 ℃higher than expected softening point of specimen). Stir it and dehydrate it. Then fill it into copper ring after filtrationuntil the specimen surface is a little higher than the ring surface.
Cool the specimen in the air (15 to 30 ℃) for about 30 minutes. Scrape specimen higher than the ring surface.
Put the copper ring containing specimen on a hole in the middle plate of holder and put the steel ball centering ball on it. Then insert temperature sensor into the hole in the middle of upper plate. The bottom of temperature sensor should be level with the bottom of copper ring. Please keep holder with specimen in the water or glycerin for about 15 minutes according to expected softening point of specimen.
Fill distilled water of 5 ℃or glycerin of 32 ℃into the beaker. Then put the ring holder into the beaker. After 15 minutes, take out of ring holder and put the steel ball on the centering ring. Then put the holder into beaker again and adjust the liquid surface to the mark line. Keep water temperature or glycerin temperature stable and make sure there is no bubble near the ring holder.
Put the beaker on the worktable. Put on the cover and tighten the locknut.
Connect the instrument to the outer power supply. Rotate the stirring speed adjustment knob on the control panel to let the stirring speed at about 72 RPM. Note, please let the stirring speed at the lowest position before you connect it to power supply. You should rotate temperature adjustment knob to adjust temperature rising rate at the first time. It is not necessary to adjust it in the later. The adjustment methods are described as following:

In normal, the indication mark on the knob just need to point to upper section. If the temperature rising speed is too quick, you can rotate the knob to left side. If the speed is too slow, you can rotate the knob to right side. You can start testing after adjustment.

Please press the Start button to make test. The heating time window at upper section of control panel runs. After warming for three minutes, the temperature can increase automatically at a rate of 5±0.5 ℃/min. When the steel ball falls about 25 mm, it can save current temperature automaticallyand show it in the display window (Temperature I and Temperature II). The temperature is softening point of specimen.
Press the Reset button to start test again. Press the Stop button to stop testing.
Notes
Make at least two parallel tests for each specimen and take the average value as the softening point. The difference between two test results should not be more than ±0.5 ℃when the softening point is lower than 80 ℃.
Please be careful when you use or store the instrument to avoid any damage to the glassware.
Please clean and dry the instrument after each test.
If there is any parts loss or damage, please contact us.
For other devices used in the test, please prepare them by yourself.
Don’t use the instrument under sunshine to avoid any wrong operation.