Testing
As mentioned in the analysis section the JCATI oven heating element will be measured on its ability to
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Heat up to 500°C
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Hold temperature plus or minus 5°C for 30 minutes
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Time to get to 500°C
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Whether it fits within the housing design
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The system not exceeding 250 pounds
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The system not being in direct contact with the carbon fiber.
These six requirements were measured using two thermocouple sensors, a phone stopwatch app, and an auto-ranging multi-meter clamp. Three test trials were conducted where the temperature was taken every 5 minutes and the two readings from the thermocouple sensors being recorded. Afterwards the data was analyzed to determine requirements 1 to 3. Requirements 4 to 6 were easily determined to be satisfactory from visual inspection of the oven heating system.
Pictures
Outside thermocouple sensor measuring for accuracy.
Temperature controller operating with red number being measured temperature and green number being the set temperature.
Carbon fiber chips to be placed into oven to have resin melted off.
Outside thermocouple sensor measuring for accuracy.
Video
Test 1
The results from the first test were inconclusive because of needing to conclude the test early to meet safety concerns. But the results that were obtained revealed the preheating cycle would take approximately 1-2 hours. The safety concerns were addressed by replacing the temporary bearings with a permanent solution fixing the smoke problems. The results from testing after improvements yielded better results but it was discovered that one of the heating elements was not functioning. This was addressed by testing the electrical components and fixing the heating element wiring.
Summary Table/Graph
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Test 2
The results from the second test were also inconclusive because of needing to conclude the test early to meet safety concerns. At the point the temperature reached 400°C a minor fire occurred inside the oven due to the outside thermocouple melting. The thermocouple melted because it was placed to far inside the oven and the plastic was to close to the heated area. The oven was cleaned and the melted plastic was removed. There was also no need to replace the thermocouple because it was still functional. The results from the test were partially skewed as well because the oven covers meant to keep the heat in melted off the oven enclosure. This was discovered late into the testing phase but was quickly fixed by placing better insulation into the openings.
Summary Table/Graph
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Test 3
The results from test 3 were conclusive with the oven reaching its required temperature of 500°C. As seen in the summary table it took approximately two hours for the oven to reach its target temperature. After reaching 500°C the carbon fiber chips were placed into the oven to see if the resin would melt off. A 30 minute heating cycle was observed and the temperatures from the two thermocouple sensors were recorded for the process. The oven heating system was able to hold the temperature at 500°C with the largest difference being 3.45°C.
Summary Table/Graph
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