The environmental weathering chamber is designed to perform a wide variety of tests. These include ASTM, MIL-Spec, IEC, CIGRI, EPRI and ISA tests, as well as many other types of specialized environmental-exposure tests.
Chamber Specifications
The stainless steel weathering chamber is approximately 10ft wide x 6ft tall x 4ft deep (3.0m x 1.7m x 1.2m) and can be operated as one large chamber. Alternatively the chamber can be configured as two entirely independent half-chambers, each 5ft wide x 6ft tall x 4ft deep (1.5m x 1.7m x 1.2m).
Multi-Variant Exposure
The weathering chamber offers a variety of environmental exposures. Most of the variants (heat, rain/ acid rain, fog/ salt fog, humidity, UV-A & UV-B illumination, full-spectrum artificial sunlight illumination, diurnal cycle exposure, and high voltage (40kV)) can be software programmed to occur individually, simultaneously, or in whatever sequence the test method requires. Additionally, the weathering chamber can be configured to perform continuous user-data logging, and it will accept additional, user-specified, custom controls.
Control Software for the Environmental Weathering Chamber
To achieve maximum test flexibility, a powerful control software was developed specifically for the chamber. This software is used to create and store customized exposure test methods, to whatever recognized standard the customer requires. If no standard exists then a unique environmental test method can be created to specifically meet the customer’s requirements. Using this unique programming flexibility the chamber can be configured to meet officially-recognized test standards.
Lamp System
The weathering chamber may be configured to perform many standard UV-A or UV-B illumination test methods. The chamber has a powerful, full-spectrum sun lamp system. This lamp system is used to conduct sunlight-exposure tests, such as IEC 1109 Annex C, MIL Spec. 810E, and many other rigorous accelerated-exposure qualification tests. Additionally, the lamp system has specialized hardware and software that permits diurnal illumination levels to be software programmed, as well as mirror the changing light-energy levels normally experienced daily between sunrise and sunset.
Test Scheduling
The weathering chamber is designed to operate either as one large chamber, or as two, completely independent, ‘half’-chambers, due to the dual nature of its entire control system. This gives us considerable freedom to accommodate more than one exposure program at any given time, reducing the overall length of time required to complete parallel test programs.