The effects of bitter cold or extreme heat on products can now be checked quickly and accurately by fitting test equipment with a temperature chamber
Temperature chambers from Hounsfield Test Equipment are available for all major brands of testing equipment, says the company, and it can also produce custom-built units for specialist requirements.
A series of 3 kW elements can raise temperatures inside the chamber to over 300C, while injection of liquid nitrogen can reduce temperatures to -70C.
The ability to conduct tension, compression, shear, deflection and peel tests over such a range has applications across a wide number of industry sectors.
"The chambers are attracting interest for testing everything from metal automotive components and rubber gas seals to polymers for packaging microwaveable frozen foods," says Hounsfield's sales and marketing director, Martin Wheeler. One of the first customers has been Mira, the Motor Industry Research Association, which uses a chamber on its 10 tonne H100K-S tension/compression machine.
Installing the chamber is a simple operation, says the company, and when not required it can be easily removed for testing to resume at ambient temperature. Kits include all necessary connections and tools as standard and Hounsfield can also supply self-pressurising vessels for the liquid nitrogen if required.
