Attachment / detachment mechanism and rheology measuring device

Abstract

To provide a detachable mechanism and a rheology measuring device capable of attaching a rotor and an inner cylinder to measure a force received from a sample at an exact location of a device body and detaching by a simple operation in the rotational rheology measuring device.SOLUTION: A detachable mechanism 10 for attaching an inner cylinder or the like to a device body includes: a housing unit 1 including a hole 1a into which a shaft part such as an inner cylinder is inserted and in which a groove 1b extending in a circumferential direction is formed on an inner surface of a hole 1a; a hollow cylindrical harness 2 arranged in the hole 1a of the housing unit 1 in a movable manner in an axial direction and formed with a through-hole 2a at a location corresponding to the groove 1b of the housing unit 1; a sphere body 3 arranged in the through-hole 2a of the harness 2; a first spring material 5 providing a force to the harness 2 in an insertion direction of the shaft part; a spacer 4 arranged in the harness 2 in a movable manner in the axial direction and regulating the movement of the sphere body 3; and a second spring material 6 providing a force to the spacer 4 in the reverse direction to the insertion direction of the shaft part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an attachment / detachment mechanism used in a rotational rheology measuring device such as a rotational viscometer or a rotational rheometer (viscoelasticity measuring device), and to a rheology measuring device equipped with this attachment / detachment mechanism. [Background technology]

[0002] The rheological properties of a substance can be evaluated by its viscosity and viscoelasticity. Rotational rheology measuring instruments, such as rotational viscometers and rotational rheometers (viscoelasticity measuring instruments), are generally used to measure the viscosity and viscoelasticity of a substance. Rotational rheology measuring instruments are classified into coaxial double cylinder types, single cylinder types, and cone-plate types depending on the shape of the rotating body. Furthermore, coaxial double cylinder rheology measuring instruments are divided into inner cylinder rotating types, in which the inner cylinder (rotor) rotates, and outer cylinder rotating types, in which the outer cylinder (a cylindrical sample container with a bottom) rotates.

[0003] An inner cylinder rotation type rheology measuring device is composed of, for example, a cylindrical container in which a sample is placed, a rotor arranged coaxially inside the cylindrical container, a drive control device that generates torque to rotate the rotor, and a measuring unit that measures the rotation speed of the rotor, etc. On the other hand, an outer cylinder rotation type rheology measuring device is composed of, for example, an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder that share the same central axis, a rotation mechanism that rotates the outer cylinder, an inner cylinder shaft that is fixed to the top of the inner cylinder and supported by a bearing, and a torque detection mechanism provided on the inner cylinder shaft (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0004] These coaxial double cylinder rheology measuring instruments are suitable for measuring fluids and fluid-like substances. The sample to be measured is placed in the gap between the inner and outer cylinders, and the mechanical properties are measured as it flows or deforms. Typically, when measuring a liquid sample using a coaxial double cylinder rheology measuring instrument, a predetermined amount of sample is first weighed into the outer cylinder and fixed in a predetermined position on the main body of the instrument. An inner cylinder of a length and shape designed to correspond to the predetermined sample amount is then attached to the measuring shaft of the main body of the instrument. Next, the inner or outer cylinder is moved, and the inner cylinder is immersed in the sample placed in the outer cylinder, and the inner and outer cylinders are adjusted so that they are in the predetermined positional relationship. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-155906 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-175841 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the conventional rotational rheology measuring instruments described above have the following problems. In a coaxial double-cylinder rheology measuring instrument, if the sample filled between the inner and outer cylinders solidifies, the inner and outer cylinders, which are covered by the outer cylinder, cannot be separated, making it impossible to remove the sample. In such a case, there is a risk that the instrument itself will become unusable. Furthermore, instruments that require manual attachment of the inner cylinder (rotor) to the measurement axis are unsuitable for technological advances, such as the addition of automatic sampling functions.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a rheology measuring device and an attachment / detachment mechanism that can attach a rotor and an inner cylinder for measuring the force applied by a sample to an accurate position on the device body in a rotary rheology measuring device, and that can be attached and detached with a simple operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The attachment / detachment mechanism of the present invention is a mechanism for attaching a rotor or an inner cylinder to a rotary rheology measuring device main body, and comprises: a housing portion having a hole into which the shaft portion of the rotor or inner cylinder is inserted and a groove extending circumferentially formed on the inner surface of the hole; a hollow cylindrical first cylindrical portion arranged axially movable within the hole of the housing portion and having one or more through holes formed at positions corresponding to the grooves of the housing portion; a sphere arranged in the through hole of the first cylindrical portion; a first spring material that applies a force to the first cylindrical portion in the insertion direction of the shaft portion; a second cylindrical portion arranged axially movable within the first cylindrical portion and restricting the movement of the sphere; and a second spring material that applies a force to the second cylindrical portion in the opposite direction to the insertion direction of the shaft portion.

[0009] The rheology measuring device according to the present invention is provided with the above-described attachment / detachment mechanism. When the rheology measuring device of the present invention is, for example, a coaxial double-cylinder device in which the inner and outer cylinders are arranged coaxially and the outer cylinder rotates, it may have a connecting member for attaching the outer cylinder to the device body, and the detachment mechanism may be provided within the connecting member. The inner tube is composed of the shaft portion and a sample immersion portion provided on one end side of the shaft portion, and the shaft portion may have a small protrusion that contacts the sphere and a locking protrusion that contacts the lower end of the housing portion on the sample immersion portion side of the small protrusion and regulates insertion of the shaft portion. In this case, an inner tube holder is provided that is attached to the opening of the outer tube, and the inner tube holder is composed of a pair of semi-cylindrical holder pieces and has a holding protrusion formed continuously from the inner surface of the holder pieces, and an engagement groove portion extending circumferentially between the sample immersion portion and the locking protrusion is formed in the shaft portion of the inner tube, and the inner tube is held in the inner tube holder by the holding protrusion of the inner tube holder engaging with the engagement groove portion of the shaft portion of the inner tube. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, the rotor and inner cylinder shafts can be held and positioned in the desired position simply by inserting them into the holes in the attachment / detachment mechanism, and the rotor and inner cylinder can be removed from the device body by the simple operation of pulling them out. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a detachment mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is an exploded cross-sectional view showing the main components of the attachment / detachment mechanism shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state of the main components when the inner cylinder is not fixed. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which an outer cylinder is connected to a connecting member in a rheology measuring device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of an inner cylinder hanger 22 shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a side view showing an example of the structure of an inner cylinder used in a rheology measurement device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0013] (First embodiment) First, as a first embodiment of the present invention, an attachment / detachment mechanism for attaching an inner cylinder to a coaxial double-cylinder rheology measurement instrument with an outer cylinder rotation system will be described. Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the attachment / detachment mechanism of this embodiment. Fig. 2 is an exploded cross-sectional view showing the main components of the attachment / detachment mechanism 10 shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 shows the state of the main components when the inner cylinder is not fixed.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the attachment / detachment mechanism 10 of this embodiment at least comprises a hollow cylindrical harness 2 within a housing portion 1, one or more spheres 3, a spacer 4 that restricts the movement of the spheres 3, a first spring material 5 that applies force to the harness 2, and a second spring material 6 that applies force to the spacer 4, and a lid 7 or the like is provided as necessary.

[0015] [Housing part 1] The housing 1 is made of, for example, metal and has a hole 1a into which the shaft of the inner tube is inserted, and a groove 1b extending in the circumferential direction is formed on its inner surface. The hole 1a in the housing 1 is configured, for example, so that its diameter decreases or increases in stages, and is provided with fastening holes 1c for fixing the inner tube. This configuration can increase the accuracy of the mounting position of the inner tube.

[0016] [Harness 2, Sphere 3] The harness 2 is a hollow cylindrical member (first cylindrical portion) made of metal or the like, and is arranged so as to be movable in the axial direction within the hole 1a of the housing portion 1. The harness 2 has one or more through holes 2a formed at positions corresponding to the grooves 1b of the housing portion 1, and each through hole 2a holds a sphere 3 made of metal or the like.

[0017] The through-holes 2a may have any shape and size that prevents the spheres 3 from falling out and that allows a portion of the spheres 3 to always protrude inward or outward depending on the position of the harness 2 within the housing 1. The harness 2 may have at least one through-hole 2a formed therein and hold at least one sphere 3, but from the viewpoint of operational stability, it is preferable that three through-holes 2a be formed at equal intervals, with each through-hole 2a holding one sphere 3, for a total of three spheres 3. The number of through-holes 2a and spheres 3 is not limited to three, and can be set appropriately depending on the load caused by the first spring material 5, and for example, when the load caused by the first spring material 5 is large, it is preferable that the number of through-holes 2a and spheres 3 be greater than three.

[0018] [Spacer 4] The spacer 4 is a hollow cylindrical member (second cylindrical portion) that restricts the movement of the sphere 3, and is disposed within the harness 2 so as to be movable in the axial direction. Specifically, when the spacer 4 moves downward, the spacer 4 blocks the through-hole 2a of the harness 2 from the inside, preventing the sphere 3 from protruding inward (allowing it to protrude outward). The spacer 4 can be formed, for example, from the same material as the housing portion 1 and the harness 2.

[0019] [First spring material 5, second spring material 6] The first spring material 5 is disposed within the hole 1a of the housing portion 1 so as to be in contact with, for example, the lower end of the harness 2, and applies a force to the harness 2 in the direction in which the shaft portion of the inner cylinder is inserted, i.e., an upward force. On the other hand, the second spring material 6 is disposed within the harness 2, and applies a downward force to the spacer 4 in the opposite direction to that of the first spring material 5. For example, in the configuration shown in FIG. 1, a protrusion is provided on the outer periphery of the spacer 4, and the second spring material 6 is disposed between the harness 2 and the spacer 4 and above the protrusion of the spacer 4, and a force is applied from the second spring material 6 to this protrusion portion.

[0020] [Operation] Next, we will explain the operation of the attachment / detachment mechanism 10 of this embodiment, i.e., the method of attaching the inner cylinder to the main body of the outer-cylinder rotating coaxial double-cylinder rheology measurement device via the attachment / detachment mechanism 10 of this embodiment. The attachment / detachment mechanism of this embodiment uses the structure of the housing 1 described above, the harness 2, sphere 3, and spacer 4 arranged within the housing 1, and the forces of the first spring member 5 and second spring member 6 to fix the inner cylinder in a predetermined position.

[0021] In the attachment / detachment mechanism of this embodiment, when the inner tube is not fixed, the harness 2 is located below the housing portion 1, and the sphere 3 held by the harness 2 protrudes outward and is fitted into a groove 1b formed in the inner wall of the housing 1, as shown in Fig. 3. On the other hand, when the inner tube is inserted, the shaft of the inner tube pushes up the spacer 4, and the harness 2 moves upward in the housing portion 1, as shown in Fig. 1. As a result, the sphere 3 escapes from the groove 1b and protrudes inward. Then, the shaft of the inner tube is caught by the sphere 3, and the inner tube is pushed up to a predetermined position by the force of the spring via the harness 2, and is fixed.

[0022] Furthermore, when removing the inner tube, for example, the inner tube pushes the sphere 3 down to the position of the groove 1b in the housing part 1. This causes the sphere 3 to protrude outward rather than inward, releasing the shaft part of the inner tube, and the spring force pushes down the spacer 4, closing the through hole 2a of the harness 2 and preventing the sphere 3 from protruding inward. This makes it possible to fix the next inner tube.

[0023] As described above in detail, the attachment / detachment mechanism of this embodiment uses the force of the spring to fix the inner cylinder in a predetermined position, and when removing the inner cylinder, the sphere can stably guide the movement of the inner cylinder in the opposite direction to that during installation, so that simply inserting the shaft of the inner cylinder into the hole in the attachment / detachment mechanism can hold them and place them in a predetermined position, and the inner cylinder can be removed from the device main body by the simple operation of pulling it out. Note that the attachment / detachment mechanism of this embodiment has been described using an example in which the inner cylinder is attached to the main body of a coaxial double-cylinder rheology measurement device with an outer cylinder rotation system, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a rotor can be attached instead of the inner cylinder, and similar effects can be obtained in this case as well.

[0024] (Second embodiment) Next, a rheology measuring device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The rheology measuring device of this embodiment is a rotational rheology measuring device that measures the viscosity, viscoelasticity, etc. of a substance, and includes at least a device main body, an inner cylinder or rotor, and the above-described detachable mechanism 10 of the first embodiment. The inner cylinder or rotor is attached to the device main body via this detachable mechanism 10.

[0025] The main body of the rheology measuring device of this embodiment is provided with, for example, a motor that rotates the inner cylinder, rotor, or outer cylinder, a control unit that controls the operation of the motor, a detector that measures the stress applied to the inner cylinder or rotor, etc. Furthermore, when the rheology measuring device of this embodiment is a coaxial double cylinder type, the main body is provided with a connecting member for attaching the outer cylinder, and the outer cylinder, which is a sample container, is attached to the main body via this connecting member.

[0026] [Connecting member 21, outer cylinder 20] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the outer cylinder is connected to the connecting member. As shown in Fig. 4, connecting member 21 is hollow, and the above-mentioned detachable mechanism 10 (not shown) of the first embodiment is disposed inside it. Furthermore, outer cylinder 20 is a cylindrical container with a bottom made of glass or metal, and an inner cylinder (not shown) is coaxially disposed inside outer cylinder 20, and a sample to be measured is filled between the inner cylinder and outer cylinder 20. Then, outer cylinder 20 is fixed to connecting member 21 using a fixing member 23 such as a nut.

[0027] [Inner tube hanger 22, inner tube 30] An inner tube hanger for holding the inner tube is installed at the open end of the outer tube 20. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the inner tube hanger 22, and Fig. 6 is a side view showing an example of the structure of the inner tube. The inner tube hanger 22 holds the inner tube 30 and contacts both the inner tube 30 and the outer tube 20 to transmit force applied to the outer tube 20 to the inner tube 30. For example, as shown in Fig. 5, the inner tube hanger 22 is made up of two identical semi-cylindrical members. By making the inner tube hanger 22 separable in this way, it can be easily attached and removed.

[0028] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 6, the inner cylinder 30 is composed of a sample immersion section 35 that comes into contact with the sample and a stem section 36 that does not come into contact with the sample. The sample immersion section 35 is a cylindrical member with a larger diameter than the stem section 36. Note that Figure 6 shows the sample immersion section 35 with a tapered conical tip, but the present invention is not limited to this. The sample immersion section 35 of the inner cylinder 30 may be cylindrical with the same diameter all the way to the tip, or the tip may be hemispherical.

[0029] The direction of the force applied to the inner tube 30 is parallel to the rotation axis, i.e., only in the up-down direction. Therefore, in the rheology measuring device of this embodiment, a two-step protrusion 34 that protrudes circumferentially is provided on the shaft portion 36 of the inner tube 30, and a protrusion 22a that fits into the two-step protrusion 34 of the inner tube 30 is provided on the inner wall of the inner tube hanger 22. When the shaft portion 36 of the inner tube 30 is inserted into the inner tube hanger 22, the protrusion 22a of the inner tube hanger 22 fits into the two-step protrusion 34 of the shaft portion 36 of the inner tube 30, and the inner tube 30 is held in a suspended state on the inner tube hanger 22 with a gap of, for example, about 0.5 mm between it and the inner tube hanger 22.

[0030] The shapes of the two-step protrusion 34 and the protrusion portion 22a are not particularly limited, but for example, the protrusion portion 22a of the inner tube hanger 22 can be triangular in cross section, i.e., a shape that becomes thinner towards the tip, and the fitting portion 34a of the two-step protrusion 34 of the inner tube 20 can be inverted triangular in cross section. This allows the axes of the outer tube 20 and the inner tube 30 to be aligned, allowing for stable installation on the device main body.

[0031] Furthermore, the size (diameter) of the two-step projection 34 may be made larger than the hole 1a of the housing part 1 so that its upper surface 34 comes into contact with the lower end of the housing part 1. This restricts the insertion of the shaft part 36 into the attachment / detachment mechanism 10, so that the axial position of the inner tube 30 can be determined so that the inner tube 30 does not come into contact with the inner tube hanger 22 during the attachment operation. Note that the projection for axial positioning of the inner tube 30 may be provided separately from the projection for fitting with the inner tube hanger 22.

[0032] Furthermore, the shaft portion 36 of the inner tube 30 is provided with, in addition to the two-step protrusion 34 corresponding to the structure of the inner tube hanger 22, a small protrusion-like sphere contact portion 32 that contacts the sphere 3, and a spigot portion 31 that is inserted into the hole 1a to align the axes, corresponding to the structure of the attachment / detachment mechanism 10. Note that while Figures 5 and 6 show a case where the two-step protrusion 34 is provided on the inner tube 30, the present invention is not limited to this, and a two-step protrusion may be provided on the inner wall of the inner tube hanger 22, and the protrusion on the shaft portion of the inner tube may be configured to fit into the two-step protrusion of the inner tube hanger.

[0033] [Operation] Next, the operation of the rheology measurement device of this embodiment, i.e., a method for measuring the viscosity and viscoelasticity of a substance using the rheology measurement device of this embodiment, will be described using a coaxial double-cylinder rheology measurement device with a rotating outer cylinder as an example. When performing rheology measurement with the rheology measurement device of this embodiment, first, the inner cylinder 30 is coaxially positioned within the outer cylinder 20 using the inner cylinder hanger 22. Specifically, the inner cylinder 30 is held suspended from the inner cylinder hanger 22 by fitting the protrusion 22a on the inner wall of the inner cylinder hanger 22 installed within the outer cylinder 20 into the two-step protrusion 34 on the shaft 36 of the inner cylinder 30.

[0034] Next, the sample to be measured is filled between the outer cylinder 20 and the inner cylinder 30, and the shaft 36 of the inner cylinder 30 is inserted into the attachment / detachment mechanism 10, and the outer cylinder 20 is fixed to the connecting member 21 using the fixing member 23. As a result, the inner cylinder 30 suspended from the inner cylinder hanger 22 is pushed up by the inner cylinder hanger 22, and the shaft 36 moves upward within the attachment / detachment mechanism 10.

[0035] At this time, because the sphere 3 is fitted in the groove 1b of the harness 2, the sphere contact portion 32 of the shaft 36 of the inner tube 30 can move higher than the sphere 3. As the sphere contact portion 32 passes through the area where the sphere 3 is located, the spacer 4 is pushed up by the sphere contact portion 32, the harness 2 moves upward in the housing portion 1, and the sphere 3 escapes from the groove 1b and protrudes inward. The sphere 3 then catches the shaft 36 of the inner tube 30, and the spring force via the harness 2 pushes the sphere contact portion 32 of the inner tube 30 up to a predetermined position and fixes it. At this time, the inner tube 30 is adjusted to a height that does not contact the inner tube hanger 22. In this state, for example, the outer tube 20 is rotated to measure the viscosity or viscoelasticity of the sample.

[0036] After the measurement is completed, the fixing member 23 is removed, and the outer cylinder 20 is pushed down. At this time, the downward force applied to the outer cylinder 20 is transmitted to the inner cylinder 30 via the inner cylinder hanger 22, which also moves the inner cylinder 30 downward, and the sphere 3 is pushed down to the position of the groove 1b in the housing part 1. As a result, the sphere 3 protrudes outward instead of inward, which releases the shaft portion 36 of the inner cylinder 30, and the spring force pushes down the spacer 4, blocking the through-hole 2a of the harness 2 and preventing the sphere 3 from protruding inward.

[0037] In a typical coaxial double cylinder rheology measuring device, the outer cylinder covers the inner cylinder, so the inner cylinder must be attached to the device body beforehand, and the only position where the sample placed in the outer cylinder can come into contact with the inner cylinder is the position where the measurement is performed (hereinafter referred to as the "measurement position"). Furthermore, even after the measurement is completed, the outer cylinder containing the sample and the inner cylinder are separated from each other at the same measurement position. In this case, there is a problem that when measuring samples that require special care, the measuring device must be managed as well. Specifically, when measuring blood, which requires careful attention to infectiousness, the measuring device must be managed as a whole.

[0038] In contrast, in the rheology measuring device of this embodiment, force is transmitted from the outer cylinder 20 to the inner cylinder 30 via the inner cylinder hanger 22, making it possible to simultaneously attach or detach the outer cylinder 20 and the inner cylinder 30. This makes it possible to handle the device with the sample filled between the inner cylinder 30 and the outer cylinder 20, making management easier.

[0039] Furthermore, in a rheology measuring device in which the parts that hold the inner and outer cylinders are located at the top, if the sample hardens during measurement or while attached to the device body, it may become impossible to remove the sample. In contrast, in the rheology measuring device of this embodiment, the inner cylinder can be removed by applying a certain amount of force from the outer cylinder, so the inner cylinder can be removed even if the sample has hardened.

[0040] Furthermore, in the rheology measuring device of this embodiment, when the inner cylinder is hung from the inner cylinder hanger and the inner and outer cylinders are assembled, the portion filled with the sample is covered by the inner cylinder and inner cylinder hanger, making it possible to prevent sample evaporation and suitable for measurements performed intermittently over long periods of time.Furthermore, the rheology measuring device of this embodiment is highly applicable to automatic measurements because the inner cylinder is hung from the inner cylinder hanger placed in the adapter and can be held in place simply by inserting the shaft of the inner cylinder at the correct position, and the outer and inner cylinders filled with the sample can be separated from the device by the simple operation of pulling them out.

[0041] In the above-described embodiment, an example of a device has been described in which both the inner cylindrical shaft for measuring torque and the outer cylindrical shaft for rotationally driving the device are positioned at the top, but the present invention is not limited to this. In particular, there are no structural restrictions on the mechanism for attaching and detaching the inner cylinder, and the device can also be used in rotational viscometers in which the outer cylindrical shaft is positioned at the bottom, which is used in many rotational viscometers. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 Housing 1a hole 1b Groove 1c fastening hole 2 Harness 2a Through hole 3. Sphere 4 spacers 5, 6 Spring material 7 Lid 10 Detachable mechanism 20 outer cylinder 21 Connecting member 22 Inner cylinder hanger 23 Fixing member 30 Inner cylinder 31 Inlay part 32 Sphere contact area 33 Top side 34 2-stage protrusion 34a Fitting part 35 Sample immersion section 36 Shaft

Claims

1. An attachment / detachment mechanism for attaching a rotor or an inner cylinder to a rotary rheology measuring device body, a housing portion having a hole into which the shaft portion of the rotor or the inner cylinder is inserted, the hole having a groove formed on the inner surface thereof extending in a circumferential direction; a hollow cylindrical first cylindrical portion that is arranged in the hole of the housing portion so as to be movable in the axial direction and has one or more through holes formed at positions corresponding to the grooves of the housing portion; a sphere disposed in the through hole of the first cylindrical portion; a first spring member that applies a force to the first cylindrical portion in an insertion direction of the shaft portion; a second cylindrical portion disposed within the first cylindrical portion so as to be movable in the axial direction and restricting movement of the sphere; a second spring member that applies a force to the second cylindrical portion in a direction opposite to the insertion direction of the shaft portion; A detachable mechanism having

2. A rheology measuring device comprising the attachment / detachment mechanism according to claim 1.

3. A coaxial double-cylinder device in which an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder are arranged coaxially and the outer cylinder rotates. a connecting member for attaching the outer cylinder to the device body; The rheology measuring device according to claim 2 , wherein the attachment / detachment mechanism is provided inside the connecting member.

4. the inner cylinder is composed of the shaft portion and a sample immersion portion provided on one end side of the shaft portion, A rheology measuring device as described in claim 3, wherein the shaft portion has a small protrusion that contacts the sphere and a locking protrusion that contacts the lower end of the housing portion on the sample immersion portion side of the small protrusion and regulates insertion of the shaft portion.

5. an inner cylinder holder attached to an opening of the outer cylinder; the inner tube holder is composed of a pair of semi-cylindrical holder pieces and has a holding protrusion formed continuously from the inner peripheral surface of the holder pieces, an engaging groove extending in a circumferential direction between the sample immersion portion and the engaging ridge is formed on the shaft portion of the inner cylinder; 5. The rheology measuring device according to claim 4, wherein the inner cylinder is held by the inner cylinder holder by the holding protrusion of the inner cylinder holder engaging with the engaging groove in the shaft portion of the inner cylinder.

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