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	SwRI has a unique gaseous contaminants facility to test the ability of telecommunications equipment to withstand exposure to everyday pollutants.

The use of copper and silver in industrial, commercial, and domestic electronic applications has raised concern that air pollutants may corrode these metals and affect their long-term functionality. Because millions of dollars are invested in developing new telecommunications equipment, it is important to know the long-term capabilities under exposure to anticipated operating conditions.

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) developed a variable geometry Mixed Flowing Gas (MFG) Environmental Test Chamber to test equipment in an environmentally controlled, corrosive atmosphere according to various industry methods including the NEBS procedure.

Adding to the airborne contaminants testing capability, hygroscopic dust simulation is also performed at SwRI. Circuit cards/boards residing in multiple frames can be tested simultaneously.

Key Benefits of the Gaseous Contaminants Facility

• The variability of system configuration, based on client requirements, offers several advantages including less overall testing time due to the fact that disassembly of the system is not necessary.

• The gaseous contaminant facility has the ability to do assembly-level tests. It is large enough to do several frames at a time.

• The hygroscopic dust test facility has the ability to do assembly-level tests. It is large enough to do circuit cards residing in several frames at a time. variability of system configurations, based on client requirements, offers several advantages including less overall testing time because disassembly of the system is not necessary.

Capabilities of the Mixed Flowing Gas (MFG) Chamber

• The SwRI MFG chamber has a six-foot square floor plan whose height can range from three to nine feet. Temperature, humidity, corrosivity, and concentrations of chlorine, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide are continuously monitored during exposure testing, which normally lasts two weeks. Test duration can be shortened or extended depending on the client's needs.

• Multiple circuit cards or boards residing in up to six frames can be exposed to hygroscopic dust testing in one test run.

For more information about NEBS telecommunications equipment and gaseous contamination evaluation capabilities at SwRI or how you can contract with SwRI, please contact Jenny Ferren at jferren@swri.org or (210) 522-2329.

| Structural and Mechanical Engineering Department | Mechanical & Materials Engineering Division | SwRI Home |

Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a multidisciplinary, independent, nonprofit, applied engineering and physical sciences research and development organization with 11 technical divisions.

September 11, 2008