Icing and Freezing Rain Testing
For any product or system component that is regularly exposed to the elements, due diligence and quality control must include testing for all conditions likely to be encountered during use. Freezing rain and ice in particular present a number of obvious challenges for aircraft, automobiles and other vehicles. Rigorous freezing rain tests should be made part of any environmental testing program, both for meeting RTCA DO-160 and other requirements, and for delivering an overall safer and more versatile product to market. As an important partner to the aviation and defense industries, NTS can help you meet these goals.
Potential Effects of Ice and Freezing Rain
Understanding the value of rain and freezing rain testing requires understanding the true scope of the risks these conditions pose. There’s no question that icing and freezing rain on aircraft structures and controls represent serious hazards to aviation. Freezing precipitation adds weight, inhibits the movement of navigational mechanisms and increases drag. Rotor blades, wings and flaps that suffer an accumulation of frozen rime and glaze present potential failure and catastrophe.
On oceangoing vessels, icing and freezing rain conditions impede the performance of antennas, optical devices, meteorological instruments and other topside equipment. The accumulated icing on ships has the potential to decrease the ship’s stability by raising the center of gravity. The protective enclosure of any critical equipment that will routinely be left outside in a harsh environment or that could be subjected to such conditions as a result of other system failures also needs to be tested for the effects of icing and freezing rain.
Freezing Rain Testing at NTS
National Technical Systems provides climate induced icing tests to various regulatory standards and we tailor our testing to the conditions anticipated during the life of the product in its intended usage environment. We can also evaluate de-icing methods and rank their effectiveness for your application.
Whether we’re helping you bring your product to international markets or helping you meet engineering challenges at home, our team can develop a comprehensive testing program that accounts for all possible environmental conditions. Ice and freezing rain tests are important components of this, but we can also perform testing that replicates hail impact, extreme humidity, rapid temperature changes and other factors. When combined environment testing is required, we will develop the most accurate and efficient sequence so you can minimize costs and reduce cycle times.
Invest in Testing Now to Save Time and Money Later
Regardless of your application-specific testing requirements, there’s clear value to subjecting your product or component to ice and rain tests. Being able to anticipate the problems these conditions pose will allow you to engineer solutions earlier in the product development cycle, avoiding costly last-minute changes.
NTS maintains one of the largest networks of ASTM-accredited testing labs in North America, with multiple locations throughout the country. As a result, we can quickly turn around projects with complex requirements.Please contact us today to learn more about how NTS can help you meet your icing and freezing rain testing requirements.