Aging gauge

Patent · 01 January 1989

OSTI ID:875232

Betts, Robert E. ^[1]; Crawford, John F. ^[1]

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1. Huntsville, AL

An aging gauge comprising a container having a fixed or a variable sized t opening with a cap which can be opened to control the sublimation rate of a thermally sublimational material contained within the container. In use, the aging gauge is stored with an item to determine total heat the item is subjected to and also the maximum temperature to which the item has been exposed. The aging gauge container contains a thermally sublimational material such as naphthalene or similar material which has a low sublimation rate over the temperature range from about 70.degree. F. to about 160.degree. F. The aging products determined by analyses of a like item aged along with the aging gauge for which the sublimation amount is determined is employed to establish a calibration curve for future aging evaluation. The aging gauge is provided with a means for determining the maximum temperature exposure (i.e., a thermally indicating material which gives an irreversible color change, Thermocolor pigment). Because of the relationship of doubling reaction rates for increases of 10.degree. C., equivalency of item used in accelerated aging evaluation can be obtained by referring to a calibration curve depicting storage temperature on the abscissa scale and multiplier on the ordinate scale.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by Secretary of Army (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): H000630
• Application Number: 07/177308
• OSTI ID: 875232
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/374/252/
10
160
70
abscissa
accelerated
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calibration
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referring
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scale
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sized
statutory invention registration
storage
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sublimation
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temperature
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thermally
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total
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variable
variable size