Open AccessDifferential six‐port reflectometer for determining dry rubber content of latex
Author(s) -
Julrat Sakol,
Chongcheawchamnan Mitchai,
Robertson Ian D.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
iet microwaves, antennas and propagation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.555
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 1751-8733
pISSN - 1751-8725
DOI - 10.1049/iet-map.2014.0247
Subject(s) - natural rubber , port (circuit theory) , differential (mechanical device) , content (measure theory) , composite material , materials science , mathematics , engineering , electrical engineering , mathematical analysis , aerospace engineering
This study presents the application of a differential six‐port reflectometer to the design of a portable system for measurement of the dry rubber content (DRC) of latex. The proposed DRC measurement system consists of a 1 GHz reflectometer used with an open‐ended coaxial‐probe sensor, a temperature sensor, a display and a microcontroller. The complex permittivity and temperature of the rubber latex are measured, and a temperature‐dependent model for DRC determination based on a dielectric mixture theory is used. The reflectometer performance is verified by comparing the measured complex permittivity with the results obtained from a commercial dielectric measurement system. Finally, the accuracy of the DRC measurement system is assessed by comparing the measured DRCs from different latex samples over the range of 10–40°C with the standard oven‐drying method.