AFCT2 Coefficient of Thermal Expansion System

Fast Take

Pine Instrument Company’s AFCT2 system for determining the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) of concrete samples is engineered to meet the requirements of the AASHTO T336 protocol. As with all Pine Instrument equipment, the CTE unit is configured to require minimal operator input and attention. Designed to test concrete samples over a temperature range of 10°C to 50°C, the test fixtures will accept specimen diameters of 90mm to 160mm and sample lengths of 170mm to 210mm. Water bath volume is adequate for testing up to three specimens at the same time when the system is configured with additional fixtures.

System Configuration

The system consists of a water-bath, heating/cooling circulator, specimen fixture, interface electronics, temperature measurement instrumentation, and control software. The control computer may be supplied by the user or purchased as part of the system. A single USB communication is used to control the system operation. Model AFCT2 is supplied with a single fixture but is capable of operating up to three fixtures. The control software manages the testing sequence, cycling the temperature while storing the temperature, displacement, and time data. Most testing parameters are programmable to allow for alternate testing protocols.

Description

Model AFCT2 Specificatons

Power	AFCT2A: 115 VAC(±10%), 20 Amps, 60 Hz, 1 ph AFCT2C: 230 VAC (±10%), 10 Amps, 50 Hz, 1 ph
Shipping weight	Approx. 136 kg (300 lb)
Water Bath	68 liters/18 gal (holds up to three fixtures)
Circulator	Temperature Range: 10° - 50°C (50°-122°F) Resolution: ±0.1°C Performance (approximate): Heating 10° – 50° C: ~4 hour Cooling 50° – 10° C: ~4 hour
Specimen Fixture	Corrosion Resistant Alloy
Displacement Probe	Submersible LVDT
Specimen Size	Diameter: 75mm – 160mm Length¹: 170mm – 210mm ¹Test specimen lengths other than 177.8 ±3mm (7”) require custom length frame Calibration Standards for best accuracy.
Fixture Calibration	Fixture CTE Standard: 177.8mm (7”) long AISI 304 SS, includes CTE Certificate
Input Parameters	Specimen Length, Identification Temperature Set Points Equilibrium Requirement (i.e.: 0.00025mm/30 minutes) Stop Criteria(i.e.: 0.3 micro-strain/°C)
Data Acquisition	Bath Temperature (4 channel) Up to 3 Specimen Fixtures (additional fixtures optional) Specimen Temperature (optional)
Output Parameters	Formatted Excel spreadsheet Time, Temperature, Change in Length, CTE Value
Test pecification	AASHTO T336 (formerly TP 60)
Minimum Computer Requirements	Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor, Microsoft® Windows® XP, 256 MB RAM, 1.2 GB Hard drive space, Microsoft® Excel® 2003, monitor resolution 1024 x 768, 16-bit color

Optional Equipment

RCWP3	Computer: Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor, Microsoft® Windows® XP, 19” Flat Panel Display, keyboard, mouse, read/write CD, Ethernet network module, Microsoft® Office Basic Edition
AFCTS02F	Specimen Fixture with SS Calibration Standard
AFCTX01	Specimen Temperature Data Acquisition Module (includes one probe [ETX44034] with 60” leads)
EXT44034	Specimen Temperature Probe
RAHTDT	Digital Thermometer: -50° to 150°C, 0.001°C resolution, ±0.05°C accuracy

* These specifications are subject to change without notice. 04122010
Computer and bench shown in representation optional *