Environmental Testing

As a United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accredited test facility, we provide the product verification and validation as required by the internal test needs of BAE Systems, as well as our external customers’ confidential commercial test requirements.

Our environmental laboratory is housed in a purpose-built facility alongside our electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) test laboratory which enables efficient delivery of customer test programmes. BAE Systems in Rochester is a Ministry of Defence approved facility, providing a secure test environment.

The facility covers a wide range of capabilities, equipment sizes and test specifications with the support of extensive data logging and evaluation tools.

Our test services cover requirements for commercial, military and aerospace with capabilities to test for temperature, vibration, humidity, shock, altitude, acceleration, rapid decompression, explosive decompression, rain, salt fog, icing, temperature altitude humidity combined, overpressure and much more.

We ensure we keep up to date with the requirements of the various test standards on our UKAS accreditation in support of test programmes covering:

• Fixed-wing aircraft such as Eurofighter Typhoon, F-16, F-22, F-35, and civil platforms
• Rotary-wing aircraft
• Commercial
• Line replaceable unit (LRU) testing for air, land and sea-based platforms
   

Environmental capabilities: 

• Temperature: -60°C to +140°C
• Thermal shock: -60°C to +140°C
• Humidity: 50% to 95% RH
• Temperature rate of change: Max 5°C / minute    
• Altitude: 35mB (approximately 78,000 feet)
• Overpressure: Max pressure: 4.1 bar
• Driving rain: 4 inch/hour & 18m/sec
• Immersion: Max depth: 10m (pressurised equivalent)
• Drop and topple/free fall: Max mass: 100 kg
• Bump: Max mass: Dependent on test Levels
• Shock on vibrator: Max mass: Dependent on test levels
• Vibration - Random, mixed mode and sinusoidal: Max mass: Dependent on test levels
• Acceleration - steady state: Maximum G level: 30g, max mass: 42kg

We have 11 climatic test chambers which includes three temperature/humidity/altitude chambers and two vibrators, which allows us to quickly respond to our customers’ requirements and schedules.
 
Our extensive climatic and dynamic facilities can test the following:

• High/low pressure
• Thermal shock
• Humidity
• Salt corrosion
• Over-pressure
• Combined temperature, altitude and humidity
• Low pressure
• Rapid decompression
• Waterproofness
• Positive pressure
• Fluid contamination
• Explosive decompression
• Acceleration
• Icing

Chamber sizes vary but our largest chamber can accommodate items which are 6 feet high, with a 19-inch rack.

Test specifications:

• MIL-STD-810 B/C/D/E/F/G/H
• BS3G100
• RTCA D0-160 A/B/C/D/E/F/G
• British Standards
• DEF STAN 00-35
• European Standards
• DEF STAN 07-55
• NES 1004