Establishing Multi-Party Supply Chain Dispute Protocols for Transit Moisture Ingress in Granular Polymers
Multi-party moisture disputes depend on ISO 15512 Method C baseline sampling at loading and container dew point tracking before silo transfer.
Double Tube Thief Probe
Meaning
Sampling instrument designed to collect representative specimens of granular materials from various depths in a bulk container. Polymer processors use the double tube thief probe to extract resin samples from silos before testing.
Mechanical Design
This device consists of two concentric metal tubes with matching slots along their lengths. The inner tube rotates within the outer tube to open and close the sampling ports. Pointed tips at the end of the double tube thief probe allow it to penetrate deeply into compacted polymer resins without crushing the pellets.
Sampling Operation
Operators insert the closed probe into the material bed at a specified angle to reach the deeper layers. Once the instrument is fully inserted, the operator rotates the handle to align the slots, allowing resin to flow into the chambers. Rotating the handle back to the closed position seals the sample inside before the probe is withdrawn.
Quality Verification
Extracted samples are analysed in the laboratory to determine the moisture distribution across the entire batch. Using a double tube thief probe ensures that moisture measurements are not biased by dry surface layers or wet spots at the bottom of the container. Accurate sampling prevents the loading of degraded or wet resin into the injection moulding machine.