Product Material Evalutation
DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center’s Test Reliability & Evaluation Branch (TREB) has the capability to provide a full range of Environmental & Climatic testing services including Temperature and/or Humidity Cycling, Accelerated Life Testing (ALT), and Environmental Stress Screening (ESS).
TREB utilizes various chambers and equipment such as the Hot/Cold chambers, Highly Accelerated Life Test (HALT) Chamber, Xenon/Sunshine and carbon arc chambers, ozone chamber and accelerated aging ovens to pre-condition, expose and stress a variety of test items.
- Bromobutyl coated nylon
- HEPA media material
- Saranex
- Flexible packaging kits
- Rubber
- Gloves, boot & clothing specimens
- Electronic components
- Chem/Bio Detectors
- Communication Sensors
- Respirators, Masks, Canisters, and Filters, etc
Requirements:
Traditionally ASME, IEST, TAPPI, MIL-STD, MIL-PRF, MIL-DTL specifications are used for testing but customized test plans are also available.
DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center’s, Test Reliability & Evaluation Branch (TREB) maintains a physical property laboratory to help determine the critical properties and the characteristics of raw material, components and complete systems.
TREB can perform physical property testing on a wide variety of materials such as woven and knitted fabrics, non-woven and coated fabrics, plastic films, rubber sheeting, leather, paper and many others using property specific equipment.
Examples of the most common tests include tensile, compression, and hardness. These tests are useful to customers who wish to quantify the strength characteristics of plastic and metal samples.
Capabilities
- Hardness tests
- Tensile, compression and elongation tests
- Hydrostatic tests – water leakage or burst strength
- Burst strength tests
- Abrasion and torsion tests
- Bend and tear strength tests
- Brittleness and stiffness tests
Equipment
- INSTRON Model 3366 Tensile Tester
- Hardness tester/ Durometer
- Burst strength tester
- Surface abrasion tester and torsion wire tester
- Elmendorf tear tester
- Puncture propagation tear tester
- Brittleness and stiffness tester
- Analytical balances
- Oven, furnace and dry keeper
- Custom design testers
Requirements
- American Society for Testing and Materials Test Standards (ASTM)
- Military, federal and commercial test standards
- Custom requests
DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center Engineering conducts physical evaluations of a variety of products, ranging from mechanical parts and filters to installation housings. This work has been performed for agencies such as the DoD, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).
Capabilities
- Dimensional analysis of nearly any item
- Measurements in the Accuracy of 0.00001/inch
Equipment
- J&L optical comparator
- 4’x 8’ grade “A” granite surface plate
- Trimos height gauge
- Nikon measuring microscope
- Nikon viewing scope
- Bore scope
- Material polishing station
- Compression and tensile testers
- Coordinate measuring machines
- Profilometer
- Paper micrometers
- Extensive library of calibrated hand tools and gages
DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center Engineering performs first article, product qualification, production and surveillance work for commercial and government customers.
The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center), Test Reliability & Evaluation Branch (TREB) has the capability to test Individual Protection (IP) and Collective Protection (CP )air filtration systems, respirators, masks, canisters and filters to help determine efficiencies, particulate penetration, pressure resistance, dust emission, breathing resistance, leakage and other critical properties.
Joint mask programs within DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center come to this laboratory to determine the effects of battlefield contaminants, such as oils, fuels, and decontaminants. This laboratory also has the capability to expose test samples to adverse environmental weathering conditions such as hot and cold temperatures, accelerated aging, and ozone to determine the durability of the equipment.
Capabilities
- Mask gas filter life testing with DMMP
- Mask filter aerosol penetration efficiency
- Mask leakage, breathing and drink resistance
- Dimensional inspection of craftsmanship
- Environmental and mechanical tests
Equipment
- Q223 DMMP gas life tester
- TDA 100P aerosol penetrometer
- Government approved mask leakage and Q-Testers such as M14, Q179, and Q213
- Environmental chambers
- Ozone chamber
- Oxygen vessels