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Lynne Wong's PhD thesis

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Figure 5.3. The McBain spring adsorption balance<br />

(McBain and Bakr, 1926).<br />

The most commonly used modern methods for determining the equilibrium moisture<br />

content can be classified into three categories: gravimetric, either static or dynamic;<br />

manometric and hygrometric (Gal, 1981).<br />

5.5.1 Gravimetric method<br />

The gravimetric method involves the measurement of mass changes, which can be<br />

determined either continuously or discontinuously in static or dynamic systems.<br />

Continuous methods employ the use of electro-balances or quartz spring balances. In the<br />

discontinuous systems, salt or sulfuric acid solutions are placed in vacuum or atmospheric<br />

systems with the test sample, to give a measure of the equilibrium relative humidity.<br />

A simple static procedure is to place a number of pre-dried samples in ordinary laboratory<br />

desiccators containing saturated salt solutions or sulfuric acid solutions of known<br />

concentrations which produce atmospheres of known relative humidity. The desiccators<br />

are maintained at constant temperature. The sample in each desiccator is weighed<br />

periodically until a constant mass is reached. The moisture content at this constant mass<br />

represents the EMC under those particular conditions of relative humidity and temperature.<br />

The EMC value of many materials depends on the direction in which the equilibrium is<br />

185

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