Fluid containment and injection
This suite of accessories enables reactive fluids to be applied and withdrawn dynamically around bonds as they are being formed. The approach may be used to mimic the thermodynamic and chemical environments that surround bonds as they cure within composite and engineering products during their manufacture. They may be used to explore the effects of applied chemicals on adhesion dynamics, and be used as a means of sequentially sensing the volatile products of adhesive cure as a function of time and temperature.
Precision fluid injection heads clamp onto the standard ones and reactant fluids may be metered into bonds via software-controlled miniature valves and closed loop pressure control. Bond testing may be affected with the heads in place (the seals are flexible) or they may be retracted immediately before testing. The cooling function may be activated with the sealed heads installed.
