Thermal Expansion of Platinum and Platinum-Rhodium Alloys

This paper contains descriptions of the construction and use over the temperature range -27 °C to 570 °C of a Merritt-Saunders (optical interferometric) linear thermal expansion apparatus. Measurements of thermal expansion are reported for platinum and for two platinum-rhodium alloys (nominally 12 wt% Rh and 20 wt% Rh). Detailed analyses are given of the measurement uncertainties involved in the experiment and of the representation of the data by polynomials in the sample temperatures. The data show precision at the 1-ppm level and good agreement with results already published.