Charleston, SC – The Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic’s environmental test and evaluation (T&E) facility tests equipment to ensure survival even in the toughest conditions. The T&E facility mimics environments that the equipment could encounter, such as low and high temperatures, humidity, salt fog and altitude, to ensure it will not fail when a Sailor or Marine needs it most.
The equipment we test is integrated on to ships, tactical vehicles, airplanes and submarines, all of which can have very different environmental conditions, so we test equipment based on where it will be integrated,said Matthew Paturzo, engineer with the T&E Facility.
“If it’s being installed shipboard, we may test immersion and salt fog, but if it’s being installed on a vehicle, we may test vibration and shock. The tests we conduct are all dependent on each customer’s requirements and the environments their equipment will be installed in.”
The T&E facility is typically the final stop for equipment once the electrical equipment has cleared the electromagnetic interference/electromagnetic compatibility lab and the Radio Frequency Test Facility, if needed.
“We’re the last stop because if the equipment fails, breaks or shatters, there is no way for it go through the other labs,” Paturzo said. “We do our best to avoid damaging equipment, but environmental testing is the most destructive testing and once we have started testing, we can’t stop, it must go through the testing life cycle. This is the point of the T&E facility, to ensure that the equipment will withstand any condition or environment it will be exposed to in the field.”
On average, the T&E facility conducts 200 tests on 40 projects per year. While there is a large array of tests that customers can request, many pieces of equipment must go through shock and vibration testing. The equipment is installed on a vibration slip table in the same orientation it will be integrated in a vehicle, ship or aircraft, for example, mounting a radio on a dashboard or an antenna to the mast of a ship. The vibration and shock tests ensure the equipment will operationally and physically withstand the vehicle, ship or aircraft it is being installed on, both of which are critical for capabilities and safety.
If the equipment passes those tests – and if it’s required – the equipment will move onto other tests. The next test most customers request is temperature/humidity testing, which is completed in one of three Environmental Chambers in the lab. A popular humidity test requires the humidity level to reach 95% relative humidity (RH) while the temperatures range from 30C to 60C for a total of 10 24-hour cycles. For temperature testing, the hottest temperature the chamber tests is 167 degrees Fahrenheit, and the lowest temperature is -40 degrees Fahrenheit.
“We have many additional tests that customers can request depending on their needs,” Paturzo said. “We can run equipment through an altitude test, immersion test, shipboard lightweight shock, salt fog, and drop and sound testing.”
- In the altitude chamber, equipment is tested in a vacuum-sealed chamber that can replicate altitude of 20,000-40,000 feet to ensure that it will work on the aircraft in the sky and doesn’t need to be in a controlled cabin space.
- The immersion tank can be either fresh or salt water, but if it’s salt it needs 3.5% salinity, which requires 40 pounds of salt, to mimic the salinity of the ocean. Testing can be completed in both the operational and non-operational configurations to ensure that the equipment is properly sealed so no water will enter.
- The shipboard lightweight shock machine uses a 400-pound hammer to induce a 100 G-force to test equipment to ensure it can withstand shock events on a Navy ship. The equipment is tested in all orthogonal axes, which includes vertical, front to back and side to side.
- The salt fog test is used for equipment that will be used for 20-30 years and have prolonged exposure to salt mist. Equipment is exposed for 24 hours and then dried for 24 hours for two cycles and a total of four days.
- Drop testing is used on smaller equipment and must pass 26 drops; six on the face, eight on the corners and 12 on the edges, and must be dropped on a steel plate backed by concrete.
- Sound testing is conducted to see the noise output of equipment, which need to meet Navy requirements on ship.
If the equipment passes through all three labs and all various tests, it will then be installed or integrated to provide the warfighter the safety and equipment they need to win.
Author’s note: This article is the third and final article in a three-part series. The previous articles about electromagnetic interference/electromagnetic capability and the Radio Frequency Test Facility Poseidon Park can be found
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https://dvidshub.net/r/rjcwfo.
*While the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic is home to dozens of labs and testing sites, there are only two labs and one test site that ensure equipment and technology meet the necessary requirements to provide the warfighter with the safest and most advanced solutions to their challenges.
The Testing Lifecycle of Electronics Series at NIWC Atlantic:
- Electromagnetic Interference/Compatibility Lab
- Radio Frequency Test Facility Poseidon Park
- Environmental Test and Evaluation Facility