TMA

TMA (Thermomechanical Analysis) measures changes in the shape of a sample when it is subjected to non-oscillatory loads (such as compression, tension, bending) while being heated or cooled according to a temperature program. It is frequently used to measure the thermal expansion coefficient and softening temperature of materials.

Rigaku's TMA employs a differential expansion method that cancels out the thermal expansion and contraction occurring in the detection mechanism itself, ensuring accurate and reproducible measurements even for low-expansion materials and small samples. There are four measurement modes depending on the load conditions and sample shape: compression load, tensile load, penetration, and three-point bending. In the compression and tensile load modes, the expansion amount can be used to determine the expansion rate and expansion coefficient.