MonTech MDR 3000 Professional
System Description

---

The testing instrument consists of the machine case, a PC with screen, keyboard and mouse as well as a printer.

The test chamber is equipped with a pneumatic closing device, with a closing force of 11.6 kN equipped. The opening of the test chamber is at any time possible. Between measurements, the test chamber can be manually closed in standby mode.

To protect the user a safety shield is lowered before the test chamber is closed. Between tests the test chamber can manually be closed in a standby mode. A delay time for opening the safety shield can freely be configured in the software. Furthermore there is the possibility of the attachment of a suction for produced waste gas to the back of the instrument.

The temperature of the two test chamber halves are independently measured by means of PT 100 RTDs and heating is controlled via software.

The rubber mixture sample is tested under torsion generated by rotational vibration of the lower test chamber. The lower test chamber generates sinusoidal rotational vibrations with fixed-angle amplitude. The oscillation amplitude can be varied up to 20°. The torque is measured via a strain gauge torque transducer with very high resolution.

Due to the rugged construction of the MDR 3000 Professional, it can be used for quality control purposes not only in the laboratory, but also directly in the production area.

The data acquisition and the control of the testing instrument is made by the PC by means of the included MonControl analysis software. For the storage and analysis of the determined measurement data a modern SQL database structure is provided. Over 1,500 time and torque characteristics are available for the selection of the test results from the viscous and elastic portions of the mixture.

Because of the very high measuring precision of the MDR 3000 Professional smallest variations of the ingredients can be detected in the test result data, which simplifies quality control and the development of new rubber compounds.

Due to this there a lots of important advantages for the user:

• Lower costs per test
• Faster batch release - with only one test all essential physically characteristics can be determined. (Quality control data, cure characteristics and properties can be determined with only one test of one test sample)
• Significantly reduction of scrap and rework
• Efficiency increase of the production process
• Faster and significantly simplified development cycles
• Intuitive, simple operation of the MonControl Analyses Software
• No separate sample preparation necessary

Test chamber system

The two test chamber halves form a closed, biconical system. That means the test chamber is formed by two conical test dies. This ensures a constant shear rate which is independent of the die radius in the sample.

The test chamber is equipped with a pneumatic closing system, which moves the upper test chamber half to the lower test chamber half to completely close the test chamber and keep the test sample during the test or cure under pressure. The default closing force is 11,6 kN at 4,5 bar air pressure.

During the test the lower die performs a sinusoidal movement with a variable amplitude and a fi xed frequency. This movement is generated by a high precision torque motor system with integrated ceramic bearing and precision-path-recording which is mounted directly at the shaft of the lower die. This motor is regulated by a corresponding high-resolution motor controller - this controller is freely programmable by the MonControl Analyses Software. Because of an integrated overload protection the drive will be switched of and the current test will be stopped if the maximum permitted torque is exceeded.

The measurement of the reaction torque is made by a DMS torque transducer with a very high resolution which is directly mounted above the upper test die. With this transducer it is also possible to measure the current pressure in the test chamber (optional).

The temperature control of both electrically heated test dies is made by the MonControl Analyses Software with a separate control system for each test die.

The temperature control and temperature measurement is performed by PT 100 resistance thermometers. For the heating of both test dies a heating film is used - one film for each test die. The heating film has a spiral shape with different distances between the windings. Therefore a heat concentration is prevented and a uniform temperature spreading is ensured.

Rheometer Volume Punch

For the exact production of test samples for the MDR 3000 Professional, the R-VS 3000 sample cutter for rheometers is an available option. This volume punch is used for rapid and accurate preparation of test specimens. The usage of a volume cutter is recommended because this ensures reliable and reproducible test results.

MonTech MDR 3000 Professional
Testing Capabilities

---

For the best possible determination of all relevant test parameters the MDR 3000 Professional is equipped with a large variety of test methods, test parameters as well as calculation and evaluation options.

Torque	Elastic modulus S‘ Viscous Modulus S‘‘	Vulcanization speed
Scorch-times	Normal force measurement P (optional)

Determinable Results

Elastic Torque The peak amplitude torque component which is in phase with a sinusoidally applied strain	Viscous Torque The peak amplitude torque which is 90° out of phase with a sinusoidally applied strain
Complex Torque The peak amplitude torque response measured by a reaction torque transducer for a sinusoidally applied strain	Tan-Delta The ratio of loss modulus to storage modulus, or the ratio of viscous torque to elastic torque
vulcanization-speed First derivation of the elastic torque S‘	Pressure The axial load exerted on the die during the test.
Storage Shear Modulus The ratio of (elastic) peak amplitude shear stress to peak amplitude shear strain for the torque component in phase with a sinusoidally applied strain	Loss Shear Modulus The ratio of (viscous) peak amplitude shear stress to peak amplitude shear strain for the torque component 90° out of phase with a sinusoidally applied strain
Complex Shear Modulus The ratio of peak amplitude shear stress to peak amplitude shear strain	Loss Angle The phase angle by which the complex torque (S*) leads a sinusoidally applied strain
Real Dynamic Viscosity The ratio of the loss shear modulus, G‘‚ to the oscillation frequency in rad/s	Imaginary Dynamic Viscosity The ratio of the storage shear modulus, G‘‘‚ to the oscillation frequency in rad/s

Oscillation as a function of the frequency

Modulation with a constant speed amplitude

Modulation with a superimposed shear

Further derived measurements

• Compliance
• Modulus under extension/compression
• Compliance under extension/compression

MonTech MDR 3000 Professional
Software

---

The MonControl Analyses Software enables the user to configure, combine and execute the respective tests. After inserting the test sample the actual test sequence is executed fully automatic without any intervention of the operator. The MDR 3000 Professional in combination with the MonControl Analyses Software offers a huge variety of test parameters, which makes it possible to determine the sample properties in a very wide range.

The following test parameters are freely definable:

• Temperature
• Oscillation frequency
• Oscillation amplitude
• Time
• Sampling rate
• Number of measuring cycles
• Pressure (optional)
• Die gap (optional)

The following test programs are available with the MDR 3000 Professional:

• Amplitude Sweep: The deflection angle (Amplitude) is changed during test at a predefined frequency and temperature.
  
  
• Frequency Sweep: The frequency of the oscillation is changed during test at a predefined amplitude and temperature.
  
  
• Temperature Sweep: The temperature of the test chamber is changed during test at a predefined amplitude and frequency.
  
  
• Shear rate Sweep: Changing of the shear rate during the examination. The shear rate sweep represents a sequence of different retardation cycles.
  
  
• Relaxation: Relaxation describes the unstressing after a strain. Stable physical systems return to an outer perturbation over relaxation processes nearly into their ground state. The relaxation time is a time constant which is characteristic for the given relaxation process. If the quantity f(t) of the relaxations follows an exponential rule: f(t) = exp( - t / t) * f(t = 0) then t is the accompanying relaxation time.
  
  
• Retardation: Examination of the fatigue behavior of a material under a constant load. Besides the elastic deformation the material experiences a time-dependent reversible (viscoelastic) and an irreversible (plastic) deformation. At the transition to the plastic condition the tension remains constant in the material. The force-time graph describes an e-function. If the stress is too high it comes time-dependently to a break of the material.
  
  
• Hysteresis: The change of the viscosity under influence of one constant shear gradient, depending on the duration of the infl uence. With increasing duration of the infl uence by the shear force the hysteresis effect is increasingly irreversible.
  
  
• Tensile tests: A material identification value which indicates the lasting prolongation of the
  break related to the initial measuring length.
  
  
• many more test programs

MonTech MDR 3000 Professional
Specifications

---

International standards	ISO 6502 / ASTM D 5289 / ASTM D 6204 / ASTM D 6601 / DIN 53529
Test chamber	Biconical, closed System
Test chamber gap	0,45 mm nominal
Force measurement	Torque transducer mounted at the upper test chamber
Closing system	Soft closing to prevent foil rips and damage of test samples
Oscillation frequency	0.001 Hz - 33 Hz
Oscillation amplitude	variable up to 20°
Temperature control system	30 °C to 240 °C, precision +/- 0.03 °C both microprocessor controlled
Temperature check system	Recordings of the temperature gradient on the screen, microprocessor monitored
Units of measure	Torque (dNm, lbf.in, kgf.cm) Shear modulus (Pa, dynes/cm², psi) Dynamic viscosity (Pa s) Temperature (°C, °F) Pressure (bar, kg per cm²) Time (min - min / min - sec) Frequency (Hz, cpm) Shear rate (1/s, rad/s)
Pneumatics	min. 5 Bar
Electrical	Single phase 220 V - 230 V, 5 Amps
Weight	130 Kg
Connection for dust / vapor extraction	100mm dia
Dimensions