The development of a torsional braid analyser interfaced to a microprocessor and some of the factors affecting the optimisation of the technique

This paper reports the development of a torsional braid analyser equipped with a gas lubricated bearing to minimise undesirable lateral oscillations of the sample, and its interface to a microprocessor for automatic data acquisition and reduction. The contribution of the glass braid substrate to the recorded dynamic mechanical behaviour is examined and some factors (polymer concentration in impregnating solution, braid structure) for the optimisation of the technique are discussed.