ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS
STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY
CWB ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS
Lighting the way for crash testing in the UK
The latest state-of-the-art crash testing facility in the UK opened its doors in January 2023 . Completed in December 2022 , it delivers the largest capacity Servo Sled capabilities in the UK .
The facility design called for a collaboration between multiple inhouse and external highly-skilled , expert engineers with practical experience and knowledge of this specialist field . The lighting system being a crucial component , was no exception .
If you ’ re not familiar with the field , you might be wondering why the lighting aspect is so important or indeed such a challenge to get right . Historically , such laboratory installations used halogen lamps to deliver the substantial lighting levels required for filming the tests at speeds in excess of 1000fps . The lamps provided continuous lighting without any visible flickering on the high-speed filming .
The major issue with this approach , notwithstanding the huge energy requirements , was the level of heat generated by the lamps which constrained operation in this temperature controlled
Our systems deliver the latest LED flicker free technology and are designed for the physical constraints of the laboratory they are to be installed in .
environment . The test facility must operate within an internationally regulatory prescribed temperature range and if this is exceeded , with calibrated equipment surface temperatures being too high , the test is postponed so that the ambient temperature can drop and equipment can be maintained at the correct temperature range for a minimum of four hours before testing can resume as per the regulations .
To overcome this problem , another common approach is to use specialist high pressure lamps which generate less heat . However the draw back here is the size of the lamp , time the lamp takes to reach full brightness and the re-strike time after power off . This poses problems when performing system checks immediately before a test .
CWB Electrical Engineers has been building specialist crash test lighting systems for 15 years . We have systems above and below ground , in sled and full scale crash laboratories and can even remanufacture obsolete lighting units if required .
Our systems deliver the latest LED flicker free technology and are designed for the physical constraints of the laboratory they are to be installed in . They are manufactured in kit form to minimize disruption and on site assembly time . The system has no warm up time , instant re-strike and operate between 60-75 % more efficiently than conventional systems with very little heat radiation .
Our systems proudly sit in several of the worlds best known Proving Grounds in the UK .
For further information , please visit www . cwb-ee . co . uk
76 PECM Issue 61