Calibration, Maintenance, and Common Troubleshooting of Horizontal and Vertical Combustion Testers

　　Horizontal and Vertical Combustion TesterIt is the core equipment for evaluating the flame retardant performance of materials, and the accuracy of its test results directly affects the determination of the material's fire rating. To ensure the long-term stable operation of the instrument and meet standard requirements, calibration, daily maintenance, and troubleshooting are key steps.

1、 Regular calibration: Ensure accurate testing parameters

Calibration is the foundation for ensuring that instruments comply with national standards such as GB/T 2408 and UL94. The flame height needs to be calibrated once a month using a standard gauge (such as a 50W/500W flame calibrator) to ensure that the flame height deviation of the gas (methane or propane) regulating valve output is ≤± 2mm. The gas flow rate is calibrated quarterly using a flow meter to ensure that the 50W flame flow rate is stable at (965 ± 30) mL/min and the 500W flame flow rate is (1670 ± 100) mL/min; The accuracy of the timer needs to be compared with a standard stopwatch every year, and the error should be controlled within ± 0.1s to avoid the influence of combustion time recording deviation on grading judgment. The calibration process needs to be operated by professionals and the calibration data should be recorded for future reference.

2、 Daily maintenance: Extend the service life of equipment

Daily maintenance can reduce the frequency of malfunctions. Combustion chamber cleaning: Clean the combustion residue (such as carbon black and droplets) of the sample in a timely manner after each test to avoid blocking the nozzle or affecting flame stability; Inspection of nozzle and sample fixture: Check the nozzle for deformation (deformation can cause flame to tilt) and the sample fixture for looseness (looseness can cause the sample to tilt and deviate from the standard position) every week; Maintenance of gas system: Check monthly whether the trachea is aging and leaking (soap water can be used for detection), and whether the pressure of the gas pressure reducing valve is stable (abnormal pressure can cause flame fluctuations); Circuit and sensors: Check the ignition device (such as high-voltage igniter) for sensitivity and temperature/flame sensor signals every six months (abnormalities may cause false triggering).

3、 Common troubleshooting: Quickly restore instrument functionality

• Unstable flame: It may be due to blockage of the gas flow control valve or gas pipe leakage, and the valve needs to be cleaned or the gas pipe needs to be replaced; If the gas pressure is insufficient, check the pressure reducing valve or gas source pressure.

Timer not starting/stopping: mostly due to sensor not detecting flames (cleaning flame sensing probe) or program setting errors (recalibrating trigger threshold).

• Ignition failure: Check if there is carbon buildup on the igniter electrode (sandpaper), if there is sufficient gas (confirm that the gas valve is open), or if the high-voltage circuit is broken (replace the wire).

• Abnormal data recording: Check whether the data collection software conflicts (restart the system), whether the sensor signal line is loose (unplug and reconnect).

Through standardized calibration, meticulous maintenance, and rapid troubleshooting,Horizontal and Vertical Combustion TesterIt can maintain high precision and reliability for a long time, providing a solid guarantee for the scientific evaluation of material flame retardancy.