Method for leak testing with a foil chamber with vented measurement volume

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11320337-B2
Application number	US-201816770333-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 6, 2018
Priority date	Dec 8, 2017
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

Method for testing a test piece for the presence of a leak using a foil chamber, wherein the foil chamber has walls having at least one flexible wall region to which a measurement volume adjoins and is arranged on that side of the flexible wall region opposite the foil chamber volume and is hermetically separated from the foil chamber volume, having the following steps: placing the test piece in the foil chamber, closing the foil chamber, evacuating the foil chamber and monitoring the measurement volume during evacuation of the foil chamber, using the result of the monitoring to reach a conclusion regarding the magnitude of a leak, characterized in that a venting valve connecting the measurement volume to the atmosphere is closed when the pressure in the measurement volume is below a predefined threshold value, and is opened as soon as the pressure exceeds the threshold value.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for testing a test specimen for the presence of a leak using a foil chamber to receive the test specimen, wherein the foil chamber comprises walls enclosing a foil chamber volume, wherein the walls comprise at least one flexible wall portion adjoining a measurement volume which is arranged on a side of the flexible wall portion opposite the foil chamber volume and is hermetically separated from the foil chamber volume, the method comprising the steps of:
introducing the test specimen into the foil chamber,
closing the foil chamber,
evacuating the foil chamber,
monitoring the measurement volume during closing and evacuating of the foil chamber, and
venting and opening the foil chamber, in order to remove the test specimen and introduce a new test specimen into the foil chamber,
wherein a vent valve connecting the measurement volume to surrounding atmosphere is closed prior to and during closing of the foil chamber when a pressure in the measurement volume is below a predetermined threshold value, and is opened for venting the measurement volume as soon as the pressure in the measurement volume exceeds the threshold value during closing of the foil chamber so that excessive gas escapes from the measurement volume and the flexible wall portion lays around the test specimen, and
the vent valve is closed before the foil chamber is vented and opened.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vent valve remains closed after the monitoring of the measurement volume and during introducing the new test specimen into the foil chamber for a subsequent leak test.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the test specimen is removed from the foil chamber after the leak test and the new test specimen is placed in the foil chamber for a subsequent leak test, wherein the vent valve is closed prior to the removal of the test specimen and remains closed during the introducing the new test specimen into the foil chamber and is opened as soon as the pressure in the measurement volume exceeds the threshold value upon closing the foil chamber.

Assignees

• Inficon Gmbh

Inventors

• Rolff Norbert
• Decker Silvio

Classifications

• G01M3/36

  by detecting change in dimensions of the structure being tested · CPC title

• G01M3/32 Primary

  for containers, e.g. radiators · CPC title

• G01M3/3281 Primary

  removably mounted in a test cell · CPC title