Ring and Ball Apparatus is used to determine the softening point of bitumen, waxes, LDPE, HDPE/PP blend granules, rosin and solid hydrocarbon resins.
[2][3][4] The solid sample is taken in a Petri dish and melted by heating it on a standard hot plate.
The bubble free liquefied sample is poured from the Petri dish and cast into the ring.
As the temperature rises, the balls begin to sink through the rings carrying a portion of the softened sample with it.
The temperature at which the steel balls touch the bottom plate determines the softening point in degrees Celsius.