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Platinum/Rhodium Alloy Spooled Wire (Pt87/Rh13)
Key Features
Platinum/Rhodium Alloy Spooled Wire (Pt87/Rh13) is the IEC-defined positive-leg material for Type R thermocouples, combining platinum’s chemical stability with the substantial mechanical improvements that 13% rhodium addition provides:
Type R Thermocouple Positive Leg
This is the Pt-13%Rh alloy specified by IEC for the positive limb of Type R thermocouples, paired against a pure platinum negative leg for high-precision temperature measurement to 1,600 °C.
Rhodium Triples High-Temperature Tensile Strength
The tensile strength of the Pt-13%Rh positive limb at elevated temperature is approximately three times that of the pure platinum negative leg. This directly improves creep resistance and extends service life under sustained thermal stress.
Enhanced Hardness and Stiffness
The 13% rhodium addition elevates hardness and stiffness substantially over pure platinum, reducing wire deformation under the mechanical and thermal loads encountered in long-running thermocouple installations.
Retained Chemical Inertness and Oxidation Resistance
The alloy retains platinum’s resistance to oxidation and chemical attack across a wide range of aggressive environments. Noble metal stability is maintained at sustained high temperatures where base metal alternatives would degrade.
Stable Thermoelectric Output
The alloy delivers consistent, repeatable thermoelectric output across the thermocouple’s operating range, underpinning the measurement accuracy and calibration stability that the Type R standard demands.
Electrical and Catalytic Properties
High melting point, good electrical conductivity, and catalytic activity in oxidation and combustion reactions extend this wire’s utility beyond thermometry to precision resistance elements and catalytic substrate applications in research.
Industrial Applications
Platinum/Rhodium Alloy Spooled Wire (Pt87/Rh13) is used wherever the Type R thermocouple standard, high-temperature mechanical integrity, or Pt-Rh alloy properties determine material selection:
- ✦ Type R Thermocouple Fabrication
- Fabrication of the Pt-13%Rh positive limb in Type R thermocouples for temperature measurement to 1,600 °C. The alloy’s creep resistance and oxidation stability give Type R thermocouples longer service life than wire of lower mechanical integrity under sustained high-temperature operation.
- ✦ Industrial Furnace, Glass and Metallurgical Process Measurement
- Used in thermocouples for high-temperature industrial furnaces, glass manufacture, and metallurgical processes where sustained thermal exposure makes the Pt-Rh limb’s resistance to creep and mechanical failure operationally critical.
- ✦ Precision Resistance Elements in High-Temperature Instrumentation
- Applied as precision resistance elements in instrumentation exposed to elevated temperatures, where the alloy’s stable electrical properties and oxidation resistance support accurate, long-term measurement.
- ✦ Catalytic Wire Substrates
- Used as a catalytic wire substrate in gas-phase reaction studies and combustion research, where the Pt-Rh composition provides both catalytic activity and mechanical integrity under repeated high-temperature thermal cycling.
- ✦ Electrode Wire in High-Temperature Research Systems
- Applied as electrode wire in electrochemical and spectroscopic research requiring corrosion-resistant metallic wire at elevated temperatures, where noble metal stability under combined thermal and chemical stress is a design requirement.
Material Properties
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Elongation at break( % ) | 32 |
| Tensile strength( MPa ) | 330-580 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Electrical resistivity( µOhmcm ) | 19 |
| Temperature coefficient( K⁻¹ ) | 0.0016 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Melting point( C ) | 1840-1865 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Density( gcm⁻³ ) | 19.64 |
Tolerances
| Diameter | ±10% | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | +5% / -1% |