A HIGH-ACCURACY DILATOMETER FOR THE RANGE-20-DEGREES-C TO 700-DEGREES-C

We have constructed a linear-thermal expansion apparatus that employs a potassium-loaded heat pipe to provide a homogeneous temperature environment for the sample and utilizes the Merritt-Saunders (optical interferometric) method of observing its expansion. The apparatus is similar in many respects to one described previously. Temperature regulation and measurement are accomplished through the use of a dedicated laboratory microcomputer operating with a simple program. Two platinum resistance thermometers, read automatically by a digital resistance bridge, provide, on command, both the temperature of the heat pipe and that of the sample chamber. Changes in sample length are determined from measurements of the corresponding changes of optical fringes from a Fizeau interferometer as recorded on film. The coefficients of thermal expansion of two Pt-Rh alloy samples determined using the present apparatus agree at the +/- 2 ppm level with those determined for a similar sample using the previous apparatus.