Accelerated reliability testing

Dependability and reliability are essential quality criteria for wind power equipment. The competitive advantage goes to those systems builders who only use components in their wind turbines which have demonstrated flawless function over the entire life cycle. Conventional testing for product qualification within specification is often no longer sufficient. The sensor specialist and connectivity provider Balluff therefore routinely subjects their sensors and linear displacement systems to HALT testing in their own testing facility.

Here the components are subjected to an accelerated “aging process” within three to five days, thereby simulating the total of all load conditions within the life of a sensor in time lapse fashion. Possible weak points can thereby be reliably detected and corrected as early as the development phase. The result is sensors of unmatched quality and reliability which perform their duty over years with consistent dependability and precision. Their use increases long-term system uptime, minimizes service and repair events and provides significantly greater efficiency.

In a HALT test the sample is subjected to ever increasing mechanical, thermal and combined loads at precisely defined intervals until it fails. This time lapse indicates the function and destruction limits of the product, greater extending the final product’s life expectancy before failure. Information about long-term behavior is gathered, with greater reliability as the final result compared with conventional testing for product qualification within specifications.

The Balluff test fixture, 230 cm x 164 cm x 227 cm (H x W x D) provides the ideal conditions for such testing. With a temperature range of -100° C to +200°C and a temperature change speed of 70 K/min, significant thermal stress is produced. The rapid cooling of the testing chamber air is accomplished using liquid nitrogen. Vibration is produced on a testing table 106 x 106 cm which is vibrated using 9 pneumatic cylinders. Vibrations with three linear and rotary degrees of freedom of up to 50g in a frequency range of 1 to 10,000 Hz are generated.

Balluff also offers testing in the HALT facility as a contracted service. For additional information contact Mr. Julius Killik at Balluff,
Tel.: +49 7158 173-0