Heating cable test bench

THE SOLUTION PROVIDED BY LF TECHNOLOGIES

The mission of our customer, the Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment (CSTB), is to guarantee the quality and safety of buildings, and to support innovation in the construction industry.
This mission is carried out through its activities: research and expertise, assessment, certification and dissemination of knowledge.

Main functions

Objective

Design and production of a test bench for heating cables to be used for certification purposes.
The aim is to carry out heating (180°C) and cooling tests on ribbons and to check their power.

PROBLEMATIC ISSUES

Develop a test method to certify that heating cables comply with standard NF EN 62395-1 (“testing the thermal performance of parallel trace resistors” and “insulated surface applications”).

SOLUTION AND RESULT

The proposed system comprises a test zone and a temperature control circuit, as well as a system for controlling the ribbons under test.
The bench has 2 test zones.
The heating cables (self-regulating and constant wattage) are enclosed in special tooling which is attached to a temperature control plate.
The complete assembly is enclosed in a thermally insulated enclosure.
The plate is thermally controlled by electric cartridge heaters and a cooling oil circuit.
The test area housing the samples to be tested consists of a safety cover, a temperature control unit and electrical terminal blocks for the electrical connection of the ribbons.
All the tests are controlled using a programme developed specifically by our technicians for this application.
The control software ensures intuitive, ergonomic operation.
In includes a curve display module, an automatic analysis and reporting module, etc.