A method for determining wear volume of a mechanical seal includes measuring a temperature at a seal face or seat of the mechanical seal with high temporal resolution. An area under a function of a measured temperature profile in a case of short-term temperature changes which are less than 60 s, compared with a normal temperature, which corresponds to a temperature profile of a mechanical seal without wear, is determined by measuring the temperature profile with subsequent integration of a function of the measured temperature profile. The area being multiplied by a mechanical seal-specific factor in order to calculate the wear volume.

A heating and cooling device includes a conductive structure, an electric heating pipe and a housing. The housing has a main body and a test space formed in the main body, the electric heating pipe is attached on the main body and used for heating a testing plastic material in the test space, and the housing is covered outside the conductive structure and separated from the main body to form a cooling flow channel. The housing and the main body are separated without contacting each other, so that the dissipation of the heat energy of the electric heating pipe through the housing can be reduced in the heating process, and the function of thermal preservation can be provided. Moreover, the cooling effect can be improved through the larger cooling flow channel during the cooling process. A PVT equipment using the heating and cooling device is further provided.

Described is a method of controlling a material testing system that includes controlling an actuator to transfer a first force acting in a first direction to a test material. The method further includes receiving, via one or more sensors, continuous data indicating one or more physical quantities associated with the test material. Based upon the continuous data, it may be determined that a change in one or more physical quantities has occurred. Based upon a change in one or more physical quantities it may be determined that an end point of a material test has been reached. The method further includes controlling an actuator to stop transfer of the first force and further to controlling the actuate to transfer a second force which acts to counteract the effects of the first force and prevent unwanted motion of one or more portions of the material testing system.