3B Scientific Linear Expansion Apparatus with Three Pointers User Manual

3B SCIENTIFIC

®

PHYSICS

Linear Expansion Apparatus with Three Pointers 1000830

Instruction sheet

02/13SF

1 Steam generator with silicone hose

2 Base strip
3 Sample tubes

1. Safety instructions

The glass tube is breakable. Risk of injury!

• Handle the apparatus with care.

Danger of serious burns! It is a property of all
the materials that these tubes are made of that
they store heat.

• Therefore, allow the tubes to cool after every

experiment.

2. Description

The thermal expansion apparatus is used for the
simultaneous measurement and comparison of
the coefficient of thermal expansion of tubular

4 Pilot bearing with pointers

5 Scale

bodies made of different materials.
Three sample tubes are mounted on an alumin-

ium base strip. The free end of each tube rests
on a pilot bearing. The thermal expansion of the
tubes is demonstrated by three pointers, each of
a different colour, on a mirror scale.

3. Scope of delivery

1 Thermal expansion apparatus
3 Sample tubes (brass, aluminium, glass)
1 Measurement scale with mirror
3 Pointers

1

T

Δ

⋅

4. Technical data

Dimensions: 830 x 80 x 70 mm3
Weight: 1200 g approx.
Sample tubes: Brass, aluminium, glass
Dimensions: 700 mm x 6 mm Ø
Tube length: 600 mm

5. Operation

In order to perform the experiment, the following
equipment is additionally required:

1 Steam generator (230 V, 50/60 Hz) 1001049
or
1 Steam generator (115 V, 50/60 Hz) 1006769

•

Mount the mirror scale onto the base strip.

• Clamp the pointers below the tubes so as to

facilitate the measurement of thermal ex­pansion.

• Calibrate all pointers to zero.

• Fill half of the steam generator with water,

place it onto the hot plate, insert the cork
cover and fasten it shut with the securing
clamp.

• Connect the thermal expansion apparatus to

the steam generator with a hose.

• Place a dish below the sample tube ends in

order to collect condensed water.

• Measure the room temperature T.

• Switch on the hot plate.

• Allow the steam to flow for some time

through the sample tubes. This should con­tinue till the tubes have attained a tempera­ture equal to the boiling point of water
(100°C). Observe the respective pointer de­flections

• Read the thermal expansion Δl off the scale

(0.1 mm thermal expansion corresponds to
4 cm pointer deflection on the scale).

• Calculate the temperature difference ΔT in

relation to the room temperature.

The coefficient of linear thermal expansion α of
different materials can be determined by the
formula:

Δ

l

=α

l

where l is the length of the tube measured from

its fixed bearing up to the pilot

bearing.

Fig. 1 Experimental set-up

3B Scientific GmbH ▪ Rudorffweg 8 ▪ 21031 Hamburg ▪ Germany ▪ www.3bscientific.com

Subject to technical amendments.

© Copyright 2013 3B Scientific GmbH