A new ASTM International standard will help users undertake shear testing using the Freeman Technology FT4 Powder Rheometer®.
Entitled, ‘Standard Test Method for Shear Testing of Powders using the Freeman Technology FT4 Powder Rheometer Shear Cell’, ASTM D7891 details the apparatus and procedures for evaluating the incipient failure properties of a powder under consolidation, including the determination of parameters such as Cohesion, Unconfined Yield Strength and Flow Function.
Freeman Technology’s Shear Cell
D7891 has been published by Subcommittee D18.24 on Characterization and Handling of Powders and Bulk Solids, part of ASTM International Committee D18 on Soil and Rock.
The principles behind all shear cell testers remain largely the same. The FT4, however, overcomes many of the recognised challenges by providing an easy to operate instrument with a fully automated test procedure and an intuitive software interface. The system is optimized to generate reliable, repeatable results, even when working with materials that are widely acknowledged to be challenging or when operating at exacting low stress conditions. In addition to the analysis of shear properties, the FT4 enables users to evaluate dynamic flow and bulk properties in order to understand how powders will behave across a wide range of conditions and in various unit operations.
“Shear cell testing is a robust and well-established technique that complements the multivariate approach employed by the FT4,” says Tim Freeman, Managing Director of Freeman Technology. “The new ASTM standard acknowledges our approach to powder characterization and recognises the need for reliable and clearly defined methodologies that provide comprehensive and valuable information.”
For more information on ASTM International, please visit www.astm.org. To learn more about powder characterization and the unique capabilities of the FT4 Powder Rheometer, please visit www.freemantech.co.uk.
Freeman Technology and Powder Rheometer are registered trademarks of Freeman Technology Ltd.
About Freeman Technology
Freeman Technology specialises in systems for measuring the flow properties of powders and has over a decade of experience in powder flow and powder characterisation. Expert teams provide detailed know-how alongside the company’s universal powder tester, the FT4 Powder Rheometer®.
The FT4 Powder Rheometer uses patented dynamic methodology, a fully automated shear cell and several bulk property tests to quantify powder properties in terms of flow and processability. Systems are installed around the world across many different industries. They deliver data that maximise process and product understanding, accelerating R&D and formulation towards successful commercialisation, and supporting the long term optimisation of powder processes.
Freeman Technology’s headquarters are in Gloucestershire, UK, with operations in the USA and China, and distribution partners in Brazil, France, India, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. In 2007 the company received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation and in 2012 the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade. www.freemantech.co.uk.