Shanxi Medical College Analyzes the Causes of Test Tube Breakage in Centrifuges

Release time:

2014-03-01

Overview:

A centrifuge is a biochemical instrument that uses the centrifugal force generated during rotation to rapidly precipitate suspended particles in a solution. It is most commonly used in fields such as medicine and public health and epidemic prevention.

Analysis of the Causes and Troubleshooting Methods for Centrifuge Tube Ruptures—The First Affiliated Hospital of Shanxi Medical University. A centrifuge is a biochemical instrument that uses centrifugal force generated during rotation to rapidly precipitate suspended particles in a solution. It is widely used in fields such as medicine and public health epidemiology.

However, during use, this instrument often experiences centrifugation failures due to broken test tubes, sometimes resulting in the loss of valuable samples and even triggering medical disputes in clinical settings. To address this issue, this article presents the author’s insights into the causes of test-tube breakage as well as practical experience in troubleshooting and preventing such incidents, thereby helping operators and maintenance personnel better utilize and maintain the instrument.

According to reports, among the 217 malfunctions of German Hermel centrifuges imported into China, 20% were caused by improper operation, and 10% were linked to human factors. This clearly demonstrates that even with advanced medical equipment, human factors cannot be overlooked.

Practice has shown that tube rupture is most often attributable to human factors. Common issues include: 1. If samples are placed in symmetrically arranged tubes, the weights of the tubes themselves must be adjusted using a balance to achieve equilibrium. If only one tube is used to hold the sample, the corresponding symmetrical tube must be filled with water to maintain balance; otherwise, during centrifugation, the instrument will vibrate, potentially causing the tube to rupture. Often overlooked is the fact that centrifuge cups in horizontal rotors can become unbalanced after prolonged use or replacement. Therefore, centrifuge cups also need to be balanced. For example, a centrifuge that has been in use for over ten years may experience frequent tube ruptures that are difficult to troubleshoot. Later investigation revealed that four centrifuge cups had become significantly unbalanced. After replacing and re-balancing these cups, the problem was finally resolved. 2. Accelerating too quickly during centrifugation can easily cause centrifuge tubes to rupture. 3. If the centrifuge’s rotational speed exceeds the maximum centrifugal force that the tubes can withstand, this can also lead to tube rupture.

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