Special inspection of ventilation grilles

As an expert in special tests, the PfB uses its testing equipment in a variety of ways

One of PfB’s specialities is to venture into complex special tests and develop customised testing devices for them. The PfB testing team does not shy away from challenges and combines its expertise with an inventive spirit.

One example of such a special test device was the test standard for DIN EN 13030 “Ventilation for buildings – Terminals – Performance testing of louvres subjected to simulated rain”. In the required test, grilles such as those required for the ventilation systems or heat exchangers of high-rise buildings are tested for water penetration. A complex test set-up in accordance with DIN EN 13030 is required to test these requirements on grilles.

The aim is to apply a defined amount of water to the test specimen under defined boundary conditions (wind speed and volume flow) and to discharge the amount of water that passes through the system. The result is an evaluation of the effectiveness of the weather protection screen as a ratio between the amount of water applied and the amount of water that has penetrated.

The first task was to determine which challenges had to be solved in terms of testing. Hidden behind this question are tricky tasks in the planning of the test equipment, which is associated with not inconsiderable investments and a high labour input for the in-house construction. Once the test equipment has been built and the measurement technology implemented, the test can be carried out by the PfB team. Requests for testing in accordance with new standards or for highly customised components often have to be processed promptly, as the client, in this case a façade manufacturer, is itself under time pressure.

In order to justify such a development effort for a special test, the test centre for components must plan fixtures as sustainably as possible. From the outset, consideration is given to how components of the test device can be redesigned for other tests or reused in other ways. For example, parts of the measurement technology could also be used to measure the flow through honeycomb chimneys after the initial test. Such special structures are used, for example, for electromagnetic shielding in tap-proof rooms and are part of special ventilation systems. In addition, the testing device is of course still available to manufacturers for testing various weather protection screens and grille systems.