Bridgman seal

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A Bridgman seal, named after Percy Williams Bridgman, seals a high pressure volume by the use of a three-part mechanism.[1] A viscous material such as rubber, copper or soap stone is set so that it stretches longitudinally against a hard steel ring, followed by a softer steel ring and horizontally against a steel piston. This arrangement ensured that higher pressures created tighter seals.[2]

This seal allowed for pressure increases from 400 MPa to 40,000 MPa. These are typical pressures expected in the Earth's internal structure.[2] For Bridgman a whole universe of possibility had opened. Everything he squeezed did something interesting and unexpected. Water froze into strange phases. Salts changed colour. Conductivities changed unpredictably. A new science world became explorable.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Bridgman, P. W. (1914). "The technique of high pressure experimenting". Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 49: 627–643. Retrieved 2012-07-12. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Classic kit: Bridgman's seal". Royal Society of Chemistry. Retrieved 2012-11-16. 
  3. ↑ "Guide to the Nobel prizes:Percy Williams Bridgman". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2012-11-16. 


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