Everyone expects a vehicle to function properly at all times. Whether it is a military or public transport, each of its parts should work at its maximum performance within an expected time frame, no matter the environment. Component failure, short lifespan, and other unsatisfactory conditions are unacceptable. Therefore, manufacturers take an automotive burn in test as part of their quality control.

Through this test, companies expose their products to various conditions. All of these aim to check the quality of their items, increasing the likelihood of delivering reliable merchandise to their customers. Furthermore, they remove any faulty devices to maintain quality standards. Think of an automotive burn in test as a series of elimination rounds. As products go through each test, manufacturers remove those with defects until all that is left are those that operate according to what customers expect.

Manufacturers utilise an environmental chamber to simulate conditions that their products may go through after customers buy them. There are several conditions that companies use to acquire accurate data regarding the performance of their items.

Tests Conducted in an Environmental Chamber

There are various sizes and designs regarding environmental chambers. Manufacturers are free to choose according to their needs. During a typical automotive burn in test, these devices perform multiple tests. It is up to the company whether they want these to happen in a certain order or all at once.

Temperature and humidity are the top causes of product failure. However, manufacturers may want to simulate other conditions. Therefore, an environmental chamber can replicate various weather conditions for numerous tests.

Listed below are some of the assessments that an environmental chamber can do during an automotive burn in test:

• Temperature Testing

As the primary cause of product failure, manufacturers utilise an environmental chamber to simulate extreme temperatures, ranging from -70° C to 180° C, to determine its impact on their items. The data gathered from this test provides insight into how much thermal endurance their merchandise can withstand.

• Humidity Testing

Moisture is the second leading cause of product failure, capable of dealing significant damage to components. In typical humidity tests, manufacturers combine high temperatures, which helps maintain the amount of moisture during an automotive burn in test.

• Air Pressure Testing

While shipping vehicle components, air pressure can change no matter the transportation. Therefore, manufacturers place their products in an environmental chamber to simulate various pressure levels. The data they gather in this test helps them make adjustments to their future merchandise.

• Thermal Shock Testing

Unlike the typical temperature testing, products undergoing a thermal shock assessment experience numerous temperature changes inside an environmental chamber. Manufacturers do this procedure to determine possible problems when items expand and contract.

Manufacturers consider thermal shock the most severe assessment among the other tests in this list.

• Accelerated Aging Testing

This assessment determines the lifespan of a product. Manufacturers expose their items inside an environmental chamber to stress that mimics the ageing process.

• Xenon-Arc Testing

This environmental chamber process exposes products to radiation, simulating the effects of sunlight during regular use.

• UV Weathering Testing

Similar to xenon-arc testing, this assessment helps manufacturers determine the effects of electromagnetic radiation on their products.

• Corrosion Testing

Manufacturers expose their products to a highly concentrated saline environment. This environmental chamber assessment determines the effects of corrosion on the performance of an item.

• Altitude Testing

Typically done for components used in air transports or space programs, this environmental chamber test determines the effects of high pressure and vacuum conditions on products. Temperatures can range from -65° C to 150° C at altitudes between -200 ft to 100,000 ft.

How Vehicles Benefit from Automotive Burn in Test

It’s no secret that car manufacturers rely on the benefits of an automotive burn in test and environmental chamber for several reasons. The whole production process involves these assessments. Components undergo these tests before going through the assembly process. Next, larger pieces take similar procedures. Finally, the vehicle must pass the same tests to determine the interactions between its components.

What are the benefits that an automotive burn in test provides to manufacturers? As stated previously, companies use this assessment to determine possible causes of failure, helping them eliminate faulty components or products. Procedures, such as a highly accelerated test or HAST system, help simulate conditions where errors are bound to occur. Everything that happens during this process takes place within a short time frame, making it a quick but valuable quality check.

However, companies don’t disregard faulty products as unsellable merchandise. They analyse the possible causes for failure and use the data they gather from them in their future productions involving the same items. After making the necessary adjustments, manufacturers will repeat undergoing an automotive burn in test to determine new sources of failure, where the cycle repeats.

This never-ending process is necessary for companies to ensure that their products maintain their quality and reliability despite the disadvantages that come with it. Without it, errors can go undetected through several batches, which can severely affect the reputation of manufacturers. Therefore, an automotive burn in test and environmental chamber are necessary to ensure that customers support the company. In short, the advantages of these assessments outweigh the disadvantages that come with them.

Conclusion

An automotive burn in test is crucial for manufacturers to maintain the quality and reliability of their products. Determining faulty items is worth the additional cost of doing these assessments. Removing them means that there is one less customer complaint. Furthermore, the data they acquire from analysing defective merchandise helps make adjustments to improve production.

On the other hand, placing products through an environmental chamber provides manufacturers with the data regarding the performance of their items under various conditions. Depending on the industry of a company, they may require assessments involving temperature, air pressure, and corrosion among all else.

Never forget that no one wants to use vehicles with questionable quality and reliability. Manufacturers know about it and ensure that the products they release to the public are safe and perform according to expectations.

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