Climatic Chamber Configurator
Discover the Climatic Chamber Configurator
Our guide to choosing the climate chamber best suited to your needs.
In the automotive sector, the durability and reliability of components are a top priority.
For battery and accumulator testing, discover our battery testing chambers, designed for testing under controlled conditions.
Among the environmental tests for validating these characteristics, thermal cycles play a key role in the automotive industry. These tests not only simulate the real-world conditions a vehicle is subjected to, but also allow potential design issues to be identified before being released for sale.
In today's article, we'll take a detailed look at thermal cycles, how they're performed in the automotive industry, and the tools and regulations governing them.
What are Thermal Cycles?
Thermal cycling is a laboratory test in which a component or system is exposed to cyclical temperature changes, according to defined parameters.
Unlike static exposure tests, thermal cycling is a dynamic tests, that is, a test in which the temperature changes gradually or rapidly in a controlled manner, in a sequence repeated over time.
These variations do not necessarily have to reach thermal extremes: they can also concern medium ranges, as long as there is a cyclicality, that is, a regular alternation between two or more temperature levels.
The goal is to observe how materials, joints, and structures react to these repeated thermal stresses, in terms of deformations, microcracks, electrical variations, or functional degradation.
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How Thermal Cycles Work in Automotive
In the automotive sector, thermal cycles are performed inside climatic chambers.
Climatic chambers are laboratory instruments consisting of a hermetically insulated compartment within which it is possible to set and monitor basic environmental parameters, such as temperature andrelative humidity.
In the more advanced models, dynamic tests such as thermal cycles can be programmed
Thermal cycling in automotive applications can involve individual electronic components, control units (ECUs), battery modules, or entire integrated systems.
Climatic chambers operate by regulating the temperature with controlled ramping (typically between 2 and 10°C/min), followed by holding periods (dwell time) of 30 to 60 minutes. The most common ranges are from -40°C to +125°C, with cycles that can be up to 1000 times repeated.
To test complex systems such as passenger compartments or entire vehicles, there are walk-in climate chambers, so called because they are accessible even to laboratory personnel.
International Standards for Thermal Cycles in the Automotive Industry
The reliability of thermal cycles in the automotive industry is guaranteed by international standards that establish methodologies and acceptance criteria. Among the most relevant:
- ISO 16750-4 – Specifies environmental conditions for electrical and electronic components in the automotive industry. Includes temperature, humidity, vibration, and thermal shock.
- SAE J1211 – Guidelines for Environmental Stress Testing of Electronic Components, with Special Attention to Strength Changes and Structural Deformations Due to Thermal Stress.
- LV124 – Standard developed by German OEMs for electrical/electronic systems in vehicles. Includes over 800 thermal cycles for particularly stringent, long-term testing.
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The FDM Climatic Chamber for Thermal Cycles in the Automotive Industry
For over 70 years, FDM – Environment Makers has been working in the field of environmental simulation.
Our climatic chambers are capable of performing all automotive thermal cycles in accordance with the international standards mentioned above.
Thanks to the innovative programmer revoFACE, dynamic tests can be fully automated by the operator.
Furthermore, our technicians are always available to interact with the customer to design the ideal climatic chamber that meets their specific needs.
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Authoritative Sources and External Links
To learn more about automotive standards on thermal cycles and the environmental qualification of components:
- SAE J1211 — Handbook for Robustness Validation of Automotive Electrical/Electronic Modules.
- AEC-Q100 / Q101 / Q200 — Automotive Electronics Council: Qualification of automotive integrated circuits, discrete circuits, and passive components.
- UNECE WP.29 — World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations.
- VDA Standards — Verband der Automobilindustrie: German standards LV 124, LV 148 for automotive electrical components.
Frequently Asked Questions about Automotive Thermal Cycles
What is the standard temperature range for automotive components?
Depends on the vehicle area. Hood area: -40°C to +125°C (AEC-Q100 Grade 1) or +150°C (Grade 0). Cabin: -40°C to +85°C (Grade 2). Underbody/wheels: -40°C to +105°C. For electric vehicles (EVs), the battery pack typically operates in the range -20°C to +60°C but is qualified at -40°C to +85°C.
How many thermal cycles are required for AEC-Q100 qualification?
AEC-Q100 prescribes 1,000 thermal cycles as the standard test (TC — Temperature Cycling) plus 500 thermal shock (TS) cycles . For safety-critical components, this can be increased to 2,000+ cycles. AEC-Q104 tests (multichip modules) add 700 more stringent cycles. The entire automotive qualification process can take 6-12 months in the laboratory.
Difference between ISO 16750 and LV 124?
ISO 16750 is the international ISO standard for environmental testing of automotive electrical and electronic components, divided into five parts (electrical, mechanical, climatic, chemical, and corrosion). LV 124 is the German VDA adopted by German manufacturers (VW, BMW, Audi, and Mercedes) for vehicles ≤3.5 t. LV 148 is the version for commercial vehicles. The content is similar, but LV 124 has more stringent tests and a broader coverage of failure modes. German OEM suppliers require LV 124 as the default.
How are the requirements for electric vehicles (EVs) changing?
Electric vehicles have additional components subject to specific environmental qualification: battery pack (UNECE R100, IEC 62660), inverter and electric motor (ISO 16750 + LV 148 for high voltage), BMS (Battery Management System) , onboard charger . Temperature ranges tend to be more severe (up to +150°C for areas close to the inverter) and specific tests such as thermal runaway propagation and isolation resistance in extreme climate conditions are added
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