RSA-G2 Solids Analyzer from TA Instruments

The new RSA-G2 is the most advanced platform for the mechanical analysis of solids. The separate motor and transducer technology of the RSA-G2 insures the purest mechanical data through independent control of deformation and measurement of stress. It is capable of performing the most accurate DMA measurements as well as many additional experiments including creep and recovery, stress relaxation, stress ramps, strain rate ramps, iso-strain, iso-force, fatigue, multi-wave, arbitrary waveform, and dielectric thermal analysis.

With such a broad range of solid analysis techniques, the RSA-G2 is uniquely positioned to address the widest range of applications from the R&D bench to the quality control lab. This new high-performance instrument represents the fourth generation of dual-head mechanical analyzers, featuring a new force convection oven for precise and accurate temperature control, an extensive array of geometries to accommodate the widest range of sample shapes and stiffness, and immersion testing capability.

In addition, the RSA-G2 doubles as a DETA, or Dielectric Thermal Analyzer, for stand-alone or simultaneous measurements.

RSA-G2 Technology

The RSA-G2 imposes a mechanical deformation to a specimen and measures the resulting stress response. The science concerned with the study of deformation and flow of materials is called Rheology. Deformation is the relative change in the shape of a body, or STRAIN, under the influence of an external force, or STRESS. Flow is a continuous relative change in shape per unit time, or STRAIN RATE, under influence of external STRESS.

The RSA-G2 is, in fact, a linear rheometer, or a precision instrument, which contains a specimen of the material of interest in a geometric configuration, controls the environment around it, and applies and measures wide ranges of STRESS, STRAIN, and STRAIN RATE. An alternative definition of rheology, relating more directly to the function of the rheometer, is the study of stress-strain or stress-strain rate relationships. The material response to external forces can be purely viscous or Newtonian behavior, purely elastic, or Hookean behavior, or a combination of both. Nearly all commercial materials of interest respond with a combination of viscous and elastic behavior and are referred to as viscoelastic materials.

Scientists use the RSA-G2 and rheology theory to study these rigid solid, soft solid, and highly viscous liquid materials in terms of a variety of material parameters such as modulus, compliance, and elasticity. Modulus is a measure of a material’s overall resistance to deformation. Compliance is a measure of the material’s ability to respond to mechanical deformation. Elasticity is a measure of a material’s ability to store deformational energy. The RSA-G2 is capable of applying a variety of deformation types over a wide range of temperatures and time-scales and calculates these material parameters providing a wealth of information about a material’s structure-property relationships and material performance characteristics.