thermal shock testing services

DES offers extreme Air to Air Thermal Shock Testing.  DES is A2LA accredited to numerous thermal shock test methods under Certificate Number 4998.01. If you have any further questions about thermal shock testing, please contact us.

What is Thermal Shock Testing?

Thermal shock testing, also called temperature shock testing, exposes products to alternating cold and hot temperature cycles.  Thermal shock testing is used to evaluate whether items can withstand sudden changes in temperature of the surrounding atmosphere without experiencing physical damage or degradation in performance. 

Equipment with single or multiple chambers may be used to perform Air to Air Thermal Shock Testing.  Typically, a test chamber with two compartments is used.  One compartment is for hot temperature and the other is for cold temperature.  Products to be tested are placed in a carriage.  The carriage shuttles between the hot and cold compartments within seconds exposing the test item to rapid temperature changes.  For large specimens, a single compartment chamber is used that is capable of performing rapid temperature changes.  DES has both types of chambers for thermal shock testing.

The proper dwell time at each temperature extreme must be considered. In general, the time must be long enough to allow the part to equilibrate to the air temperature. Larger and heavier parts with a higher thermal mass will therefore need longer dwell times than lighter and smaller parts with less thermal mass.

Typical thermal shock test specifications include:

  • MIL-STD-202, Method 107, Thermal Shock
  • MIL-STD-810, Method 503, Temperature Shock
  • MIL-STD-883, Method 1010, Temperature Cycling
  • JESD22-A104, Temperature Cycling

Typical failures caused by thermal shock testing are:

  • Cracked solder joints
  • Deformation or fracture of components
  • Cracking of surface coatings
  • Leaking through seals
  • Failure of insulation protection

DES’s Equipment Capabilities:

  • Temperature range from -73°C to +200°C (-100°F to +400°F)
  • Dual compartment chamber with moving carriage to shuttle between hot and cold chambers.  Transfer between hot and cold chambers completed in seconds
  • Single compartment chamber with rapid transition rates for large specimens
  • Ability to perform one to thousands of repetitive cycles
  • Many thermocouple channels available to measure product response

Related Blogs

If you want to learn more about thermal shock testing, please read these related blog articles:

Thermal Shock Testing: Temperature Cycling

Temperature Cycling Testing: Coffin-Manson Equation