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Brookfield Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
Page 38
Manual No. M/92-021-N0902
The current guard leg is a band of metal in the shape of the letter U with a bracket at the top that
attaches to the pivot cup of a Brookfield Viscometer/Rheometer. Because it must attach to the pivot
cup, the guard leg cannot be used with a Cone/Plate instrument. A guard leg is supplied with all LV and
RV series instruments, but not with the HA or HB series. It’s shape is designed to accommodate the
spindles of the appropriate spindle set; therefore, the RV
guard leg is wider than the LV due to the large diameter of
the RV #1 spindle. They are not interchangeable.
The calibration of the Brookfield Viscometer/Rheometer is
determined using a 600 ml Low Form Griffin Beaker. The
calibration of LV and RV series instruments includes the
guard leg. The beaker wall (for HA/HB instruments) or the
guard leg (for LV/RV instruments) define what is called the
“outer boundary” of the measurement. The spindle factors
for the LV, RV, and HA/HB spindles were developed with
the above boundary conditions. The spindle factors are used
to convert the instrument torque (expressed as the dial read-
ing or %Torque value) into centipoise. Theoretically, if mea-
surements are made with different boundary conditions, e.g.,
without the guard leg or in a container other than 600 ml
beaker, then the spindle factors found on the Factor Finder
cannot be used to accurately calculate an absolute viscosity.
Changing the boundary conditions does not change the vis-
cosity of the fluid, but it does change how the instrument torque is converted to centipoise. Without
changing the spindle factor to suit the new boundary conditions, the calculation from instrument torque
to viscosity will be incorrect.
Practically speaking, the guard leg has the greatest effect when used with the #1 & #2 spindles of the
LV and RV spindle sets. Any other LV (#3 & #4) or RV (#3 - #7) spindle can be used in a 600 ml beaker
with or without the guard leg to produce correct results. The HA and HB series Viscometers/Rheom-
eters are not supplied with guard legs in order to reduce the potential problems when measuring high
viscosity materials. HA/HB spindles #3 through #7 are identical to those spindle numbers in the RV
spindle set. The HA/HB #1 & #2 have slightly different dimensions than the corresponding RV spindles.
This dimensional difference allows the factors between the RV and HA/HB #1 spindles to follow
the same ratios as the instrument torque even though the boundary conditions are different.
The recommended procedures of using a 600 ml beaker and the guard leg are difficult for some cus-
tomers to follow. The guard leg is one more item to clean. In some applications the 500 ml of test fluid
required to immerse the spindles in a 600 ml beaker is not available. In practice, a smaller vessel may
be used and the guard leg is removed. The Brookfield Viscometer/Rheometer will produce an accurate
and repeatable torque reading under any measurement circumstance. However, the conversion of this
torque reading to centipoise will only be correct if the factor used was developed for those specific
conditions. Brookfield has outlined a method for recalibrating a Brookfield Viscometer/Rheometer to
any measurement circumstance in “More Solutions to Sticky Problems”, Section 3.3.10. It is impor-
tant to note that for many viscometer users the true viscosity is not as important as a repeatable day to
day value. This repeatable value can be obtained without any special effort for any measurement
circumstance. But, it should be known that this type of torque reading will not convert into a correct
centipoise value when using a Brookfield factor if the boundary conditions are not those specified by
Brookfield.
The guard leg is a part of the calibration check of the Brookfield LV and RV series Viscometer/Rheom-
eter. Our customers should be aware of its existence, its purpose and the effect that it may have on data.
With this knowledge, the viscometer user may make modifications to the recommended method of
operation to suit their needs.
LV Guardleg
RV Guardleg