A new image for cyclic corrosion test chambers

Citation

(2004), "A new image for cyclic corrosion test chambers", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 76 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2004.12776dad.014

A new image for cyclic corrosion test chambers

A new image for cyclic corrosion test chambers

Keywords: Ascott Analytical Equipment, Corrosion, Testing

Ascott Analytical Equipment, reports that it has launched a brand new range of cyclic corrosion test (CCT) chambers.

The result of a 2-year development programme, based largely on customer feedback, the range has been conceived to combine versatility and ease of operation with an attractive visual appearance – one which according to Ascott is far removed from the utilitarian look of the traditional, and often awkward to use, top-loading designs.

“Even if we work in a strictly technical environment, we are all attracted by and susceptible to products with aesthetic appeal,” commented Chris Gates MD of Ascott. “With this new range we have been able to add this important element to those of efficient, flexible operation and advanced process control.”

Available in three capacities – 450, 1,000 and 2,000 litres – the new Ascott CCT chambers utilise an innovative design concept, in which the front of the chamber has been lowered to substantiaiiy ease loading and unloading, with consequent benefits to operator health and safety – especially when handling heavier and larger components. Trials are said to have shown that female operators, in particular, have found this low-front design more convenient (Plate 3).

This feature is enhanced by the new design of pneumatically operated canopy that seals the chamber. This opens (after automatic purging) and closes effortlessly, at the touch of a button. The canopy also incorporates a large window for viewing the chamber interior, with additional interior illumination offered as an option.

Cyclic corrosion testing has become increasingly necessary in recent years, at the same time becoming more demanding as manufactures strive to accelerate the naturally occurring corrosive conditions that affect their products, within the convenience of a laboratory.

Conventionally, such testing combines a salt spray environment with condensation humidity and air drying to form a corrosion cycle. However, environmental testing has become an essential requirement for many more consumer and industrial products than ever before, involving a large number of test methods and international standards. Ascott's new CCT product range caters for all these, and offers up to nine controlled environments, ranging from freeze/thaw testing to sulphur dioxide (acid rain) testing.

All Ascott CCT chambers are supplied, as standard, with the ability to control and display relative humidity (percentage of RH) using a novel design of salt resistant humidity probe. This enables the chamber to meet a wide range of ever more demanding CCT specifications.

Programming is said to be simple, via a touch-screen interface, allowing the operator to program a large number of CCT programs. Each program can comprise any of the chamber environments, linked together in a sequence to form a corrosion cycle that is automatically executed by the chamber. Programs can be stored individually under user-defined names for ease of identification. Information can be programmed or displayed in any of four languages: English, French, German and Spanish.

The use of a fully pixelated control panel display, has enabled sophisticated software to be developed to give users the added benefit of a real time graphical display of both the set and actual chamber conditions (temperature and humidity) inside the chamber. This can be used to log and review these conditions continuously, providing the user with the reassurance that the expected test conditions have been achieved.

The chambers are robustly constructed, using a rigid steel frame with grp cladding, which is easily removable for maintenance purposes, and the 2,000 litre capacity model is wide enough to take a whole “width of body” car component in its normal orientation.

As a further demonstration of Ascott's belief in design appeal, a free-of-charge choice of five RAL colours – turquoise, blue, grey, mauve and red – is also offered for the pneumatically operated canopy.

A brochure containing comprehensive technical details on the new Ascott CCT chambers range is available on request from the company.

For further details, contact: Ascott Analytical Equipment Ltd. Tel: +44 (0)1827 318040; Fax: +44 (0)1827 318049; E-mail: info@ascott-analytical.co.uk; Web site: www.ascott-analytical.co.uk, North American Office: Tel: +1 248 687 1222; Fax: +1 248 687 1001.

Plate 3 The latest range of CCT chambers from Ascott Analytical Equipment combines versatility and ease of use with aesthetic appeal. The 450 and 1,000 litre capacity models are pictured, 120 and 2,000 litre capacity versions are also available