NEW METHOD FOR MEASURING SURFACE ENERGIES AND TORQUES OF SOLID SURFACES
Abstract
A novel technique for determining the surface energy and its derivative with respect to orientation is described. Essentially it involves the floating of a wedge on the substrate, said wedge being made of a material which is not wet by the substrate, i.e., as a greased needle floats on water. A thermodynamic analysis of a system in which the wedge is supported entirely by surface energy is given. If the original surface is not at a cusp orientation, the surface tension is directly measurable from the groove angle formed. If the original surface is at a cusp orientation, there may or may not be a groove depending on the relative values of the derivative with respect to orientation and the weight of the wedge. Experiments primarily on Cu and Ag showed that sapphire, quartz and refractory metal wedges were wet while graphite wedges were not. The technique was demonstrated to work using graphite wedges, but the results obtained were not as accurate as those obtained by other workers using the wire-creep experiments. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1962
- Accession Number
- AD0277266
Entities
People
- P.g. Shewnon
Organizations
- Carnegie Institute of Technology