Dilatometer

A familiar application of a dilatometer is the mercury-in-glass thermometer, in which the change in volume of the liquid column is read from a graduated scale.

Dilatometers have been used in the fabrication of metallic alloys, study of martensite transformation, compressed and sintered refractory compounds, glasses, ceramic products, composite materials, and plastics.

[1] Dilatometry is also used to monitor the progress of chemical reactions, particularly those displaying a substantial molar volume change (e.g., polymerisation).

Thermal expansivity is an important engineering parameter, and is defined as: There are a number of dilatometer types: For simpler measurements in a temperature range from 0 to 100 °C, where water is heated up and flow or over the sample.

Metallurgical applications often involve sophisticated temperature controls capable of applying precise temperature-time profiles for heating and quenching the sample.