Thermal Shock Chambers
Thermal shock chambers are test chambers that submit products to rapid temperature changes in order to assess the stress sustained by the product. Thermal shock chambers initiate automatic changes between two compartments, in which one compartment contains an extremely cold environment and one compartment contains an extremely hot environment. The rapid transference of the object between these two compartments of extreme temperatures causes a shock to the object. This process allows engineers to measure the effects of extreme temperature changes on an object within a single environmental chamber.
Thermal shock chambers can utilize temperature changes in either liquid or air. Liquid-to-liquid thermal shock chambers alternately immerse an object in very hot and very cold liquids. These liquids are non-toxic, noncombustible, chemically inert, and have low viscosity. Air-to-air, or two-zone, thermal shock chambers transfer a product from a hot chamber to a cold chamber or some other sudden change in air temperature, and vice versa. Sometimes, in a transfer, there is an intermediate step in which the product is exposed to room temperature conditions, which is called three-zone thermal shock.
As it is easy to buy the wrong equipment for thermal shocking, it is best to consult an expert on thermal shock chambers before purchase.