JPH0444225B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is a method for automatically measuring the penetration degree of a pasty substance such as petroleum asphalt or the penetration degree of grease, etc. METHODS AND MEASUREMENT APPARATUS.

[Background technology and its problems]

Penetration is the amount of penetration of the penetration measuring needle into the measurement sample when the needle with a constant load is allowed to fall freely for a certain period of time into the measurement sample kept at a constant temperature in a thermostatic chamber. be. There is a standard for measuring the penetration of petroleum asphalt, for example, in JIS-K-2207. In addition, the material is softer than petroleum asphalt.
For example, in the case of grease, the hardness, ie, the hardness, of the grease is measured using a similar device using a measuring needle of a different shape from that used for penetration. For measuring the durability of this grease, please refer to JIS-K-
2220, and JIS-K-2235 stipulates the measurement of penetration and penetration of petroleum waxes.

When measuring hardness such as penetration, it is first necessary to bring the tip of a needle for measuring penetration or hardness into contact with the sample to be measured so as not to damage the surface of the sample. However, in conventional measurement methods, the height of the sample stage must be adjusted by holding up an electric light to cast the shadow of the measuring needle tip onto the surface of the measuring sample, or by looking at the measuring needle tip in a mirror. It was impossible. Therefore, measurement operations require skill, and measurement results tend to vary from person to person.
It was not always easy to obtain accurate measurement results.

Further, after the tip of the measuring needle is brought into contact with the surface of the measuring sample, the measuring needle must be allowed to enter the measuring sample for a certain period of time, but this entering operation must be completed in a short time. Therefore, in this case as well, skill is required for the measurement operation, and
Individual differences were likely to occur in the measurement results.

Therefore, in order to overcome these difficulties,
A device for automatically measuring penetration has already been proposed (Japanese Patent Publication No. 49-31677). In this device, the needle for measuring penetration was suspended from the dial gauge via an elastic thread, but the resistance of the gear that moves the dial gauge could not be ignored, so the entry time of the needle for measuring penetration was changed. In some cases, a correction formula must be introduced, and from these points of view, it is not always sufficient.

[Purpose of the invention]

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method and a measuring device for measuring penetration or penetration, which can easily obtain highly accurate measurement results without requiring special skill. It is in.

[Means and actions for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the first invention suspends a needle for measuring penetration or penetration with a constant load from a flexible thread connected to a strain gauge toward a measurement sample, and performs these measurements. The strain changes the contact between the measuring needle and the surface of the measuring sample when the measuring needle and the measuring sample gradually approach each other based on the relaxation of the flexible thread caused by the contact between the measuring needle and the measuring sample surface. It is detected by the output signal of the gauge, and then the measuring needle is advanced into the measuring sample for a certain period of time with the flexible thread further relaxed.
fixing the measuring needle and then connecting the flexible thread to the strain gauge while the measuring needle remains fixed until said strain gauge detects that a certain tension is applied to the flexible thread; The method is characterized in that the end portion side of the flexible thread is moved in the tensioning direction of the flexible thread, and the amount of penetration of the measuring needle into the measurement sample is determined from the amount of movement at this time.

Further, the second invention provides a needle portion having a needle for measuring penetration or penetration and having a constant weight as a whole, a flexible thread hanging from the needle portion, and a flexible thread. a strain gauge connected to the loose end side of the measuring needle, a measuring sample placed below the measuring needle, and a position where the measuring needle contacts the sample surface of the measuring sample, and a position where the measuring needle is fixed in the measuring sample. a clasp portion capable of locking the measuring needle in at least two positions including a position after free falling for a time; and a displacement detector detecting the two positions of the measuring needle via a flexible thread. It is characterized by having the following.

In the method and device for measuring penetration or penetration according to the present invention, the contact between the measuring needle and the surface of the measuring sample can be detected with high precision by using a strain gauge, and the contact between the measuring needle and the surface of the measuring sample can be detected with high precision. When entering the measurement sample, the measuring needle is allowed to fall freely in the same manner as in JIS standards, etc.
This eliminates the need to introduce correction formulas, etc.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration diagram of an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a penetration measuring device. In the figure, a needle portion 1 includes a penetration measuring needle 2, a weight 3, and a needle holder 4. Weight 3 is needle holder 4
When the weight 3 is placed on the pedestal 3A, the needle part 1 has a constant weight as a whole, for example, when the weight 3 is placed on the pedestal 3A.
100gr. However, the weight 3 is loosely fitted into the needle holder 4 and suspended by the weight holder 3B, and in this case, the needle 1 has no weight 3. No load will be applied.

The needle part 1 is connected to a strain gauge 6 via a flexible thread 5.
At this time, the tip of the penetration measuring needle 2 is directed vertically downward. This flexible thread 5
is used to sensitively sense the initial contact between the tip of the penetration measuring needle 2 and the sample surface.
A flexible thread having appropriate elasticity and strength, such as nylon or other synthetic fibers or silk thread, is used. The weight holder 3B is attached to this strain gauge 6 support.

The support of the strain gauge 6 is fixed to a spindle 8 of a micrometer head 7 as a displacement detector, and the amount of movement of the spindle 8 (i.e., the height position of the strain gauge 6) is controlled by a first motor connected to a knob 8A. It is designed to be adjusted by turning 9. Further, the amount of movement of the spindle 8 (the height of the strain gauge 6) is displayed by a micrometer counter 10, and near the strain gauge 6, a first limit switch 11 and a second limit switch 12 are installed along the vertical direction. The strain gauges 6 are arranged at predetermined intervals so that the upper and lower limit positions of the strain gauge 6 can be detected.

At this time, the spindle 8 of the micrometer head 7 is preferably a linear type that does not rotate, but a rotating type may also be used.

Below the penetration measuring needle 2, a measurement sample 15 housed in a container-shaped sample stand 14 is placed. A constant temperature medium circulation path 16 and a circulation pump 17 are attached to the sample stage 14 , and the constant temperature medium in the constant temperature chamber 18 is circulated to the sample stage 14 by the pump 17 .
5 is maintained at a constant temperature. Further, a rack 19 is fixed to the sample stand 14, a pinion 21 is meshed with the rack 19, and the pinion 21 is attached to the output shaft of a second motor 22. The penetration measuring needle 2 moves up and down along the penetration direction (that is, vertically up and down direction). Furthermore, a third limit switch 23 and a fourth limit switch 24 are arranged near the rack 19 at a predetermined interval along the vertical vertical direction, so that the upper and lower limit positions of the sample stage 14 can be detected. There is.

The needle holder 4 can be held at any vertical position by a clasp 31 as a clasp.

The clasp portion 31 is shown enlarged in FIGS. 2 and 3. In these figures, the clasp part 31
has a pair of gripping members 33 that sandwich the needle holder 4 therebetween. The pair of gripping members 33 are rotated about rotational shafts 34 at one end of each, and are connected to each other so as to sandwich the needle holder 4 by a spring 35 provided at the other end.

Further, the distance between the pair of gripping members 33 is widened by the actuating member 36 having an acute angle at the tip against the biasing force of the spring 35, so that the needle holder 4 is released from the clasp part 31 at this time. It's summery. The actuating member 36 is connected to a drive shaft 38 via a link 37, and the drive shaft 38 moves horizontally depending on the energization state of the solenoid 39, and the movement is transmitted to the actuating member 36 via the link 37. It's summery. Also, a pair of gripping members 33 and a link 37
is supported by a support 40.

FIG. 4 shows the control system of this embodiment. In the figure, the CPU 41 receives the output signals of the strain gauge 6 and the micrometer head 7 via A/D converters 42 and 43, respectively, and also controls the first, second, third, and fourth limit switches 11, 12. , 23 and 24 are also input. Also, CPU4
1 indicates first and second motors 9, 22, circulation pump 17
and a control signal to each of the solenoids 39, and a recording section 44 such as a recorder or printer.
and sends a data signal to a display 45. Furthermore, CPU41 has memory 4
6 is connected.

Next, a method for measuring penetration according to this embodiment will be explained.

When measuring the penetration, first, (1) set the initial position of the penetration measurement needle 2 by bringing the penetration measurement needle 2 into contact with the surface of the measurement sample 15, and then (2) ) The penetration degree (amount of penetration) of the penetration measuring needle 2 into the measurement sample 15 must be detected.

(1) Method of contact between the penetration measuring needle 2 and the surface of the measurement sample 15.

With the needle holder 4 released from the clasp 31, the needle 1 is allowed to hang down from the strain gauge 6. At this time, as shown in Figure 1,
The weight 3 is held by the weight holder 3B and the needle part 1
is separated from the pedestal 3A, and the load of the weight 3 is applied to the needle part 1.
The length of the flexible thread 5 is set in advance so as not to add to the damage. Further, at this time, it is assumed that the strain gauge 6 comes into contact with the first limit switch 11 and stops, and the rack 19 of the sample stage 14 comes into contact with the second limit switch 24 and stops. Furthermore, since the weight of the needle portion 1 excluding the weight 3 is applied to the strain gauge 6, a predetermined voltage is output.

The value of the micrometer counter 10 is reset once.

The sample stage 14 is driven by the second motor 22 and raised to the point where the first limit switch 23 is actuated. Penetration measurement needle 2 and measurement sample 15 when the sample stage 14 is stopped
The distance from the surface shall be approximately 1 cm.

The knob 8A of the micrometer 7 is driven by the first motor 9 to slowly lower the strain gauge 6 fixed to the spindle 8.

When the penetration measuring needle 2 hanging down from the strain gauge 6 finally comes into contact with the surface of the measurement sample 15, the flexible thread 5 of the strain gauge 6 relaxes. The output signal (voltage) of the strain gauge 6 at this time is as shown in FIG.
What was initially a predetermined voltage changes due to the contact so that the output voltage gradually decreases as the flexible thread 5 relaxes. This strain gauge 6
The point in time when the change value of the output signal reaches a preset value is defined as the position where the penetration measuring needle 2 and the measurement sample 15 come into contact.

This position is detected by the CPU 41, the needle holder 4 is immediately fixed by the clasp 31, and the micrometer counter 10 at this time is
Read the value of , or have the CPU 41 read it automatically, and set that value as P ₁ .

(2) Measuring the penetration of the penetration measuring needle 2 into the measurement sample 15.

After the second motor 22 stops, the first motor
The motor 9 is driven to lower the strain gauge 6 sufficiently. As a result, the weight 3 held by the weight holder 2B is separated from the weight holder 3B and transferred onto the pedestal 3A of the needle part 1, and the load of the weight 3 is applied to the needle part 1. At the same time, the flexible thread 5 becomes further loosened.

Release the needle holder 4 from the clasp 31. At this time, since the flexible thread 5 has already been relaxed by a sufficient amount by the above operation, the penetration measuring needle 2 can freely enter from the sample surface of the measurement sample 15 while receiving the load of the weight 3. state.

After the penetration measuring needle 2 is allowed to freely enter the measurement sample 15 for a predetermined period of time (for example, 5 seconds), the clasp 31 is activated to fix the needle holder 4.

With the needle holder 4 fixed by the clasp 31, the first motor 9 is reversed to raise the strain gauge 6.

The loose flexible thread 5 is a strain gauge 6
The tension gradually increases as the pressure increases, and the point at which the tension suddenly increases is detected from a sudden change in the output signal of the strain gauge 6, and the value of the micrometer counter 10 is immediately read or read into the CPU 41 and the Let the value be _P2 . At the same time, the needle holder 4 is released from the clasp part 31 to prevent any further excessive load from being applied to the flexible thread 5.

From the above two values P ₁ and P ₂ of the micrometer counter 10, the penetration measuring needle 2 is determined by the following formula.
The amount of penetration, that is, the degree of penetration is calculated.

(Penetration) = P ₂ − _{P 1} This calculation is also performed by the CPU 41,
The calculated value is recorded in the recording section 44 and displayed on the display 45.

The penetration level can be determined by the above operations,
To perform continuous measurements, further perform the following operations.

The strain gauge 6 is further raised, and when the first limit switch 11 is activated, the strain gauge 6 is stopped. Through this operation, the weight 3 is held by the weight holder 3B again.

The needle holder 4 is fixed by the clasp 31.

With the needle holder 4 fixed by the clasp 31, the sample stage 14 is lowered by the second motor 22, and the sample stage 14 is stopped when the second limit switch 24 is activated. As a result, the penetration measuring needle 2 is completely removed from the measurement sample 15.

Thereafter, by replacing the measurement sample 15 and repeating the above-described operation, continuous measurements are performed.

According to this embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.

Since changes in the output signal of the strain gauge 6 are detected, contact between the penetration measuring needle 2 and the sample surface of the measurement sample 15 can be detected with high precision. For example, in the conventional method, it is difficult to detect contact between the penetration measuring needle 2 and the sample surface of the measurement sample 15, even by an expert. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, even if the penetration measuring needle 2 penetrates into the sample surface of the measurement sample 15 by about 0.1 mm, the penetration measurement needle 2 and the sample surface of the measurement sample 15 will overlap. contact can be detected. Moreover, no skill is required for the measurement operation.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the penetration measuring needle 2 contacts the sample surface of the measurement sample 15, the load of the weight 3 is removed from the needle part 1, making the detection sensitivity at the time of contact extremely high. I can do it.

In addition, when detecting the penetration of the penetration measuring needle 2 using a dial gauge, in order to comply with standards such as JIS, it is necessary to change the entry time of the penetration measuring needle or use a correction method. had to be introduced. However, in this embodiment, the penetration measuring needle 2 is introduced into the measurement sample 15 in the same condition as in the JIS and other standards, so there is no need to change the entry time or introduce a correction formula. be.

In this embodiment, the upper end of the weight holder 3B is not limited to being attached to the strain gauge 6, but may be attached to the spindle 8 of the micrometer head 7.

FIG. 6 shows the overall configuration of an embodiment other than the above. The embodiment shown in FIG. 6 is constructed similarly to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, except that no needle holder is provided. Therefore, the sensitivity of the strain gauge 6 that detects the contact between the tip of the penetration measuring needle 2 and the measurement sample 15 is not particularly enhanced, but other than this, the effect is similar to that of the previous embodiment. It has an effect.

7 and 8 show other embodiments of the clasp portion. In these figures, the clasp portion 61 has a support block 62, a cylinder hole 63 is provided in the support block 62, and a piston 64 is slidably held in the cylinder hole 63. Support block 62 and piston 64
are formed with through holes 65 and 66, respectively, the through hole 65 has a slightly larger diameter than the outer diameter of the needle holder 4, the through hole 66 has an even larger diameter than the through hole 65, and these through holes The needle holder 4 is loosely passed through 65 and 66.

A spring 67 is disposed at the bottom of the cylinder hole 63, and the spring 67 biases the piston 64 toward the outside of the cylinder hole 63, thereby shifting the center of both through holes 65 and 66 and supporting the needle holder 4. It is designed to be locked to a block 62. However, the piston 64 has the actuating member 3
6 are connected, and when the actuating member 36 moves the piston 64 by a predetermined amount toward the bottom of the cylinder hole 63 against the biasing force of the spring 67, both the through holes 65, 6
The needle holder 4 is moved in the direction in which the centers of the needle holder 4
is released from the support block 62 and can freely move up and down.

Even in an embodiment using such a clasp portion 61, the same effects as in the above-mentioned embodiment using the clasp portion 31 can be achieved.

In addition, although the embodiment in which the present invention is applied to penetration measurement has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and by appropriately changing the shape of the measuring needle 2, it is possible to - Grease durability measurement based on K-2220 can be carried out with the configuration other than the measuring needle being the same as in the previous example,
Furthermore, the penetration and penetration of petroleum wax can be measured in the same way. In this way, penetration and penetration both measure the hardness of a substance, and there is no substantial difference between their names.

Further, although the displacement detector is a micrometer head, the present invention is not limited to this, and any means capable of detecting the values of P ₁ and P ₂ may be used.

Furthermore, the moving means for adjusting the vertical positional relationship between the penetration measuring needle 2 and the measurement sample 15 was configured so that the sample stage 14 could be raised and lowered by the second motor 22 in the above example. The stand 14 may be fixed, and the first motor 9 alone may bring the penetration measuring needle 2 into contact with the measurement sample 15 and loosen the flexible thread 5. In addition, when fixing the sample stage 14, the needle part 1, the strain gauge 6, the first motor 9, the differential transformer 25, the clasp part 3
A structure in which the parts including the first part can be moved as one to the sample stage 14 side may be used, but if the sample stage 14 side is movable, the amount of movement of the needle part 1 will be smaller and the flexible thread 5 will be subject to vibrations, etc. This is advantageous because it reduces the possibility of giving.

Further, the operating procedure may be fully automated by being programmed in the memory 46, or may be a combination of manual operations.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method and a measuring device for measuring penetration or penetration, which can easily obtain highly accurate measurement results without requiring special skill.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the overall configuration of an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a penetration measuring device, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are a plan view and front view showing an enlarged clasp portion of the embodiment. 4 is a block diagram showing the control system of the embodiment, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing changes in the output signal of the strain gauge in the embodiment, and FIG. 6 shows the overall configuration of an embodiment other than the above. The front view, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8 are a plan view and a partially sectional front view showing a clasp portion in an embodiment other than the above. 1... Needle part, 2... Penetration measurement needle, 3... Weight, 3A... Pedestal, 3B... Weight holder, 4...
Needle holder, 5... Flexible thread, 6... Strain gauge, 7... Micrometer head, 8... Spindle, 8A... Knob, 9... First motor, 10...
... Micrometer counter, 11, 12 ... Limit switch, 14 ... Sample stage, 15 ... Measurement sample, 16 ... Constant temperature medium circulation path, 17 ... Circulation pump, 18 ... Constant temperature oven, 19 ... Rack, 21 …
...Pinion, 22...Second motor, 22, 23...
... Limit switch, 31, 61 ... Clasp part, 3
3... Gripping member, 34... Rotating shaft, 35... Spring, 36... Operating member, 37... Link, 3
8... Drive shaft, 39... Solenoid, 40... Support body, 41... CPU, 62... Support block,
63...Cylinder hole, 64...Piston, 65,
66...Through hole, 67...Spring.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A needle for measuring penetration or penetration with a constant load is suspended from a flexible thread connected to a strain gauge toward a measurement sample, and the measurement needle and the measurement sample are gradually connected to each other. Contact between the measuring needle and the measuring sample when brought close to each other is detected by an output signal of the strain gauge that changes based on relaxation of the flexible thread caused by contact between the measuring needle and the surface of the measuring sample. , After that, the measuring needle is advanced into the measurement sample for a certain period of time with the flexible thread further relaxed, and then the measuring needle is fixed, and then, with the measuring needle fixed,
The end of the flexible thread connected to the strain gauge is moved in the tensioning direction of the flexible thread until the strain gauge detects that a certain tension is applied to the flexible thread. , A method for measuring penetration or penetration, characterized by determining the amount of penetration of the measuring needle into the measurement sample from the amount of movement at this time. 2. A needle having a needle for measuring penetration or penetration and having a constant weight as a whole, a flexible thread hanging down from this needle, and a needle connected to the other end of the flexible thread. a strain gauge placed under the measurement needle, a measurement sample placed below the measurement needle, a position where the measurement needle contacts the sample surface of the measurement sample, and a position after the measurement needle has freely fallen into the measurement sample for a certain period of time. a clasp portion capable of locking the measuring needle in at least two positions; a displacement detector configured to detect the two positions of the measuring needle via a flexible thread;
A device for measuring penetration or penetration, comprising: 3. According to claim 2, the displacement detector is constituted by a micrometer head, and the strain gauge is attached to a spindle of the micrometer head. measuring device. 4. In claim 2 or 3, the needle portion is provided with a weight that is separable from the measurement needle, and the weight is provided when the measurement needle contacts the surface of the measurement sample. A device for measuring penetration or penetration, characterized by being provided with a weight holder that releases the load on the needle portion due to the weight.