Assembly Instructions for P13621 Thermal Conductivity Testing Apparatus

2013Rochester Institute of Technology

Senior Design Team P13621

Required Materials:

Step 1: Place a washer onto each of the threaded rods. Insert each rod into its corresponding holes in the base plate from the bottom. Place another washer and secure with nut. See figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1 Figure 2

Step 2: Insert the cartridge heater wires into the hole in the base plate. Slide the heating block spacer over the cartridge heater. See figure 3.

Figure 3

Step 3: Use the din rail and din rail fasteners to secure the cartridge heater wires to the bottom of the base plate. See figures 4 and 5.

Figure 4 Figure 5

Step 4: Insert the heating block onto the cartridge heater and slide down until the cartridge heater is embedded inside the heating block. The heating block should rest on the heating block spacer. See figure 6.

Figure 6

Step 5: Use four nuts and thread them onto each threaded rod such that they are positioned slightly higher than the top of the heating block. This will prevent the cooling plate from accidentally falling onto the heating block. See figure 7.

Figure 7

Step 6: Position the cooling plate by sliding it down the threaded rods. To connect the cooling plate to the cooling unit, slide the plastic hoses over the ends of the copper tube and secure with hose clamps. Secure the other ends of the plastic hoses to the corresponding inlet and outlet ports of the cooling unit. See figures 8 and 9.

Figure 8 Figure 9

Step 7: Screw on wing-nuts onto each of the threaded rods. This will allow for easy adjustment of the cooling plate during testing. See figure 10.

Figure 10

Step 8: To insert a test sample, slide the cooling plate up and place the sample vertically on top of the heating block. Slide the cooling plate down such that the upper end of the sample is in contact with the cooling plate. See figure 11.

Figure 11

Step 9: Tighten each wing-nut until the sample is sandwiched tightly between the heating block and cooling plate. See figure 12.

Figure 12

Step 10: Connect the wires from the heating block to the power supply using alligator clips. See figure 13.

Figure 13

Step 11: Slide the safety cage over the apparatus as shown in figure 14 and 15. The assembly is now ready for testing.

Figure 14

Figure 15