Component Environmental Test Chamber Jeff Hughes 1 , Peter Adam 1 , Thong Vo 2 and Phong Ngo 2

1. Component Environmental Test Chamber Jeff Hughes1, Peter Adam1, Thong Vo2 and Phong Ngo2 1. Department of Mechanical and Material Engineering, 2. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Advisor: Dr. W. Robert Daasch Design Products Introduction Daimler Trucks Product Validation Engineering (PVE) tests components to ensure they meet minimum specifications. Some electrical components are attached under the hood, and other areas where they may be exposed to the outside environment. In some cases, this may include exposure to water, especially in vocational models built for heavy duty applications. DUT • Controller • Automation Direct DL06 • Discrete I/O, 0-24V • 20 Inputs/16 Outputs • Thermocouple external card • Program by Ladder logic • GUI • EZTouch Enhanced 6’’ • Directly Read/Write to PLC memory • Multiples pages for different control, monitor situations Background • In an attempt to set a testing standard, Daimler Trucks Germany provided their testing specifications. This document highlights E.U. standards for testing of electrical components at varying levels of intensity. • Three water spray tests to be conducted: • 4K – Low pressure (~60 PSI), Low flow (~0.15 GPM per hole), Room Temperature • 6K – Medium pressure (~145 PSI), High flow (~20 GPM), Room Temperature • 9K – High Pressure (~1300 PSI), Medium flow (~4.0GMP), High Temperature (~180 ⁰F) • Turntable • Stepper motor • Double gear turn table : two different RPM (2 and 5) • Proximity sensor for velocity feedback • Hot water tank • Heating element: 3000W • Heat water up to 1800 F • Measure temperature by thermocouple • Water level detection • Controller • Reads values from the thermo couple, converts them to BCD • Communicates with GUI (touchscreen) • Sequentially control power devices to complete different tests • Issues commands for stepper motor driver to archive appropriate speed • Monitor safety conditions and interlock conditions. Turn off power device appropriately when there is any hazard. • GUI • Control Panel: Start/Stop, Test selection, Pre-Heat the tank • Animation instructions, real time system status • Temperature graph • Sensor suite • Thermocouple: to ensure that 9K test is at appropriate temperature • Proximity sensor: to ensure the turn table is turning at the right speed • Water leak sensors. • Pressure sensors. • The top of the chamber • Large conical inductor tank: easy for draining and recirculating water • Nozzles: fabricated base on Daimler’s spec document • Turn table: Stepper motor turns the table at require speeds • Water collector: drains the water to suitable tanks during tests. • The base of the chamber • Hot water pump: High pressure, high water temperature pump • Hot water tank: able to heat up and keep water at desired temperature • Cold water pump: roller pump can provide high flow rate • Cold water tank: store room water, able to alarm when the water temp. is out of range. Approach User Test selection 4k,6k,9k Command Start, Stop... Test conditions GUI Control Panel System Status Temperature graph 6K Nozzle 9K Nozzle 4K Nozzle Testing There are many mechanical parts , high power devices in this system must be fabricated, assembled together to get the full version of the chamber. While finishing the chamber, we test our algorithm with smaller scale devices. We successfully control power devices following sequences in the tests’ spec. Sensor suite Rotation, Pressure, Door lock, Water leak, Temperature. PLC Controls solenoid valves, pumps, heater, turn table Monitors turn table, water temperature, interlock conditions Update data to GUI Conclusions Power Devices Pumps, Valves, Heater This project is our first large corporate project. We gain lots of valuable skills in cross functional engineering as well as electrical controls engineering. More work need to be done to assembly the chamber, ensure water pressure and flow rate . The system can be connected to the network to send email, alarms, update status to operator. Typical device under test (DUT) Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering Daimler Trucks North America