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Destruction
Environmental endurance
IM Testing
Measurements and Photography
Testing
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Environmental Endurance
Environmental endurance testing is an important tool in the development and verification of products. It should be included as a natural tool for calculative as well as design-related purposes. In most cases one knows how and where the products shall be used. In such cases one can list those environmental factors that the product shall be subjected to. These environmental factors can be natural or induced.
Natural environmental factors are, for example, weather and wind that occur in the surrounding, external environment.
Induced environments are such environments that are generated by and in relation to the use of the product. Maybe the most important factor for such is vibration and shock.
How does one go about conducting environmental endurance testing? To do this, we use an environmental endurance laboratory that has equipment for simulating the proposed physical reality. Bofors Test Center (BTC) has such a laboratory. Vibrators are used primarily to simulate a mechanical environment. In such situations one can simulate transport vibrations and shocks.
There are a number climatic chambers and temperature chambers for the testing of natural environments. Climatic chambers can simulate the real physical environment by using cycled temperatures and high degrees of relative humidity. The largest chamber for climatic testing has a breadth of two metres, a length of three and a half metres and a height of two metres. BTC can also simulate solar radiation and rain. Solar radiation can be performed with up to 1,120 W/m2, which is the highest solar intensity that obtains in the physical world.
There is a salt fog chamber at BTC used for the simulation of coastal or littoral environments. There is also equipment for testing high and low pressure conditions. There is a centrifuge for testing up to 250 g in order to test constant accelerations.
When needed, BTC can assist with the establishment of environmental prognoses, environmental specifications and testing programmes. Testing reports with records of conducted tests are always delivered after the conclusion of testing.
For more information contact:
Thomas Gustavsson Tel: +46 586-840 63 Fax: +46 586-840 16
E-mail: thomas.gustavsson@testcenter.se
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