doorgraden

Doorgraden is a term used in technical discourse to describe a method of gradually varying a controlling variable across a system, with measurements taken as the parameter changes through successive levels. The word combines Dutch door (through) and graden (degrees or steps). Rather than a single step change, doorgraden creates a spatial or temporal gradient that reveals how responses evolve across a range of conditions.

The approach appears in several disciplines, including materials science, chemical engineering, biology, and microfluidics. In materials testing, a temperature or composition gradient is imposed along a specimen to map properties such as phase behavior or diffusion as a function of position. In biology and biotech, concentration gradients in microfluidic devices are used to study dose–response effects and cell behavior.

Common implementations use gradient generators or controlled ramps to establish the gradient, followed by sampling at intervals and statistical analysis of the resulting response curves. Advantages include efficient coverage of parameter space, improved detection of gradual or threshold effects, and richer data than isolated point tests. Challenges include gradient stability and calibration, potential edge effects, and the need for careful interpretation and reproducibility.

The term is most common in Dutch-language technical literature and is sometimes translated as through-gradation or gradual change, with varying adoption across fields.