Climatic Testing
Accelerated aging in controlled environments
Simulating climate or excessive ambient conditions in a controlled laboratory environment.
As the name implise, climatic chamber testing
enables material testing laboratories to simulate in a highly controlled setting, different real world environmental conditions
Temperature and Humidity
Chamber testing also includes temperature and humidity cycling tests. This type of material testing service is often referred to as environmental chamber testing.
Using chamber testing, material testing labs can exposed products and materials to a constant temperature and relative humidity or the temperature and the relative humidity can be cycled.
This enables firms to better understand how their products and materials will behave and how long they will last in a real life setting.
These various environmental accelerated aging tests can enable firms to validate their products' designs early in the their development process. In addition, chamber tests can be used to establish on-going product performance and also as a problem solving tool.
Climatic chamber testing and additional tests
Climatic chamber testing can refer to numerous tests. For example, UV testing
can be used to simulate accelerated sun exposure. In addition, climatic chamber testing can be undertaken with Salt Spray Testing
where the corrosiveness of the ambient atmosphere is simulated in a controlled salt fog environment using ASTM B117 test.
Numerous tests and industries
Numerous material tests can be done using climatic chamber testing including:
Materials
- ASTM C1026; Standard Test Method for Measuring the Resistance of Ceramic and Glass Tile to Freeze-Thaw Cycling
Pharmaceutical
- ASTM D3103 Standard Test Method for Thermal Insulation Performance of Distribution Packages
- ASTM F1980 Standard guide for Accelerated Aging of Sterile Barrie Systems for Medical Devices
Packaging
- ASTM F2825
- ASTM D4332
Conditioning containers ALL ISTA test methods
- ASTM D4169
Military / Defence
- MIL-STD 883 method 1010.7 Test Method Standard Microcircuits - Temperature cycling
- MIL-STD-810 meth 500.4 Low pressure (Altitude)
- MIL-STD-810 meth 501.4 High Temperature
- MIL-STD-810 meth 502.4 Low temperature
- MIL-STD-810 meth 507.4 Humidity
Automotive
- Hyundai ES84500-14 - High and Low Temperature testing -75 ºC to 190 ºC
- Chrysler PF9007 - Thermal shock testing -75 ºC to 190 ºC
- SAE USCAR-24 Humidity - Tests the inflator assembly used in airbag modules
- Nissan 98560NDSOO - High and Low Temperature testing -75 ºC to 190 ºC
Battery
- IEC 62133
- IEC 61960 - Discharge performance at 20 ºC and -20 ºC
- C UL 1642
- UL 2054
- SAE J2464 - Thermal stability: Increasing temperature in 5 ºC increments
Solar Pannel
- IEC 61215
- IEC 61646
- UL-1703
Chamber testing can also include additional climatic testing services tailored to specific atmospheric conditions including:
- altitude testing using ASTM D6653
- rain and condensing humidity testing using ASTM D4585
- transportation and vibrations testing using ASTM D4728
- and many other ambient stress tests
Learn more about additional test methods available from ASTM International.