Research and development tests at Damstra Laboratory

Our customers are using different processes to come to new products and – or new product features. Often Damstra Laboratory is involved with the validation or certification of these new developments. In some cases we are being asked to complete a set of tests as part of data gathering prior to the selection of a design by the customer.

In this project our customer, Eaton Industries (Netherlands) B.V., is interested to understand the impact of different materials in their application in medium voltage switchgear. These materials are used in parts for isolation. In case of a short circuit these materials are being ignited. As materials have different behavior when being burned, the effect and the consequences need to be well understood prior to make decisions regarding design. Eaton Industries would like to understand the effect of the used materials onto the pressure and outgassing when short circuits occur.

To be able to do these tests efficiently, a special object was built. At one end special boxes containing the different materials were assembled. The short circuit was initiated in this box to maximize the effect. Pressure gauges where installed to capture the pressure the blast. At the other end a hole was made to allow outgassing. The level of outgassing was captured using a high speed camera.

This set up allowed the customer to obtain much data from the dozens of short circuit shots performed during the shifts.