In modern international power transmission and distribution networks, the safety and stability of high-voltage overhead lines are paramount. Insulators must not only provide excellent electrical insulation but also maintain absolute physical integrity under extreme natural environments and continuous mechanical tension. As a leading environmental test equipment manufacturer, Wewon Environmental Chambers Co., Ltd. understands the importance of technical support and strict quality inspection.

Our high-end thermal-mechanical testing cachine is specifically designed to meet the most stringent testing demands of global transmission lines, aiming to help power engineering teams accurately evaluate the long-term endurance of insulators. This article delves into the core technical details of the Thermal-mechanical Test Chamber, analyzing how it perfectly complies with various international and national testing standards to provide the most professional technical reference for your procurement and equipment selection.

Equipment Model:	TST-GB-T19519-T22708-1	TST-GB-T19519-T22708-Pro
Max Tensile Load:	300 kN	300 kN
Force Accuracy:	± 0.5% of reading	± 0.5% of reading
Test Station:	1 Station (Simultaneous testing of 1 specimens)	2 Stations (Simultaneous testing of 02 specimens)
Internal Dimensions:	500 mm x 800 mm x 2000 mm (W x D x H)	800 mm x 800 mm x 2000 mm (W x D x H)
External Main Frame:	1200 mm x 1200 mm x 3600 mm (W x D x H)	1400 mm x 1200 mm x 3600 mm (W x D x H)
Temperature Range:	-60°C to +150°C	-60°C to +150°C
Control / Hydraulic Cabinet:	800 mm x 800 mm x 1800 mm (W x D x H)	800 mm x 800 mm x 1800 mm (W x D x H)
Control System:	Standalone unit placed next to the main frame	Standalone unit placed next to the main frame
Temperature Stability:	± 2°C	± 2°C
Load Columns (04 pillar):	100 mm (diameter) x 3600 mm	120 mm (diameter) x 3600 mm
Steel Components:	High rigidity steel pillars supporting the top crosshead
Top Crosshead:	1200 mm x 1200 mm x 300 mm (W x D x H)	1400 mm x 1200 mm x 300 mm (W x D x H)
Top Structure:	Heavy duty top beam supporting hydraulic cylinders	Heavy duty top beam supporting hydraulic cylinders
Hydraulic Cylinders	150 mm (diameter) x 800 mm, 1 Piece	150 mm (diameter) x 800 mm, 2 Pieces
Travel Distance:	Mounted on top, provides the 300 mm stroke	Mounted on top, provides the 300 mm stroke
Actuator Type:	Single servo-hydraulic actuators (top mounted)	Dual servo-hydraulic actuators (top mounted)
Control Interface:	Professional PC based Software with real time curve plotting
Safety Features:	Overload protection, Over temperature alarm, Limit switches
Mechanical Structure:	Vertical Type	Vertical Type

Why Do High-Voltage Grids Need a Top-Tier Thermal-mechanical Test Chamber? In actual operation, insulators frequently face severe cold, extreme heat, and massive mechanical stress caused by wind loads, ice accumulation, and the weight of the conductors. This dual action of temperature fluctuation and mechanical tension easily leads to material fatigue, micro-cracks, and ultimately mechanical fracture.

Therefore, Overhead line insulator test equipment has become an indispensable infrastructure for high-voltage laboratories and insulator manufacturing plants. By simulating extreme temperature variations and dynamic loads in a laboratory setting, QA engineers can identify design flaws or manufacturing defects early. High-quality testing equipment not only produces authoritative Thermal-mechanical performance test reports but also serves as the first line of defense ensuring decades of stable grid operation.

With advances in material science, composite insulators made of glass fiber cores and polymer sheds are widely used. For these types of insulators, our equipment perfectly acts as IEC 61109 test equipment, and is completely compatible with the Chinese national standard GB/T 19519	IEC 61109 test equipment: Accurate Evaluation for Composite Insulators
As a professional composite insulator test chamber and polymer insulator thermal-mechanical tester, this equipment can accurately perform long-term comprehensive aging and stress testing. During the testing cycle for composite insulators, the specimen must undergo four continuous 24-hour heating and cooling cycles.
Throughout the entire heating and cooling process, the equipment must continuously apply a tensile load equal to at least 50% of the specified mechanical load (SML).
Our servo-hydraulic system ensures extremely low load output fluctuation over this 96-hour test cycle, providing the most realistic degradation simulation for the core and shed interface of composite insulators.
Besides polymer materials, traditional porcelain and glass insulator strings still account for a massive proportion of power grids. For these materials, the equipment seamlessly switches to an IEC/TR 60575 thermal-mechanical tester, fully meeting the GB/T 22708 testing specifications.	IEC/TR 60575 thermal-mechanical tester: Enhancing the Reliability of String Insulator Units
As a high-precision string insulator units testing machine, it demonstrates high programmatic control flexibility when handling porcelain or glass insulators. Unlike the constant tension required for composite insulators, this standard requires that at the end of each heating period, the tensile load must be completely removed and then reapplied.
Our equipment’s built-in dynamic load programming software can accurately execute this complex intermittent unloading and loading action, ensuring test conditions strictly adhere to standard regulations. This effectively verifies the thermal expansion matching between porcelain parts, adhesives, and metal fittings.

Equipment Model:	TST-GB-T19519-T22708-1	TST-GB-T19519-T22708-Pro	1.1. Load frame and mechanical
Machine Structure:	Vertical 04 column high rigidity load frames.	Vertical 04 column high rigidity load frames.
Maximum Load Capacity:	300 kN	300 kN
Force Measurement Accuracy:	± 0.5% of reading	± 0.5% of reading
Actuator Cylinder Stroke:	300 mm	300 mm
Maximum Specimen Length:	1500 mm (1.5 meters)	1600 mm (1.6 meters)
Effective Test Width:	800 mm (Between columns)	800 mm (Between columns)
Number of Disc Insulators:	1 Station (Simultaneous testing of 1 specimens)	02 Stations (Simultaneous testing of 02 specimens)
Test Room Capacity:	Working volume 500 mm x 800 mm x 2000 mm (W x D x H)	Working volume 800 mm x 800 mm x 2000 mm (W x D x H)
Temperature Range:	-60°C to +150°C	-60°C to +150°C	1.2. Environmental chamber
Temp Control Accuracy:	High precision PID control ensuring ± 2.0°C uniformity,
Test Standards:	IEC 61109:1992, MOD (GB/T 19519-2004): Composite insulators for AC overhead lines with a nominal voltage greater than 1000V – Definitions, test methods and acceptance criteria.
Test Standards:	IEC/TR 60575:1997, MOD (GB/T 22708-2008): Thermal-mechanical performance test and mechanical performance test on string insulator units.
Internal Chamber Dimensions:	500 mm x 800 mm x 2000 mm (W x D x H)	800 mm x 800 mm x 2000 mm (W x D x H)
Overall Equipment Dimensions:	3800 mm x 1800 mm x 3800 mm (W x D x H)	4000 mm x 1800 mm x 3800 mm (W x D x H)
Cooling System:	Cascade refrigeration system with environmentally friendly refrigerants.
Power Consumption:	10.5 kW, AC 380 V, 50 Hz, 3 Phase	13.5 kW, AC 380 V, 50 Hz, 3 Phase

To empower QA engineers during routine inspections, we have equipped this GB/T 19519 test chamber and GB/T 22708 testing machine with several industry-leading engineering designs:	Mastering the Mechanical load-time test and Specified Mechanical Load (SML) test	Equipment Features:
The precision of the mechanical load system determines the validity of the test results. Our equipment features a heavy-duty, high-rigidity four-column frame, with a single-station maximum tensile load reaching 300 kN.
When executing the Mechanical load-time test and the ultimate Specified Mechanical Load (SML) test, the equipment’s high-resolution load cells can provide force measurement accuracy up to ±0.5%.
More importantly, the control system supports seamless standard switching, allowing operators to easily toggle between test programs for composite insulators and ceramic/glass insulators without any hardware adjustments.
When executing the Insulator thermal cycling test, temperature accuracy and load synchronization are top priorities. Wewon equipment utilizes a cascade refrigeration system and high-precision PID control, allowing the temperature range inside the test chamber to span from -60°C to +150°C.	Absolute Synchronization: Precise Temperature Control in the Insulator thermal cycling test
The core technology lies in “Absolute Synchronization”- the load actuator and temperature chamber are controlled by the same synchronized loop, ensuring that mechanical stress is accurately applied precisely at the required thermal thresholds (such as -35°C or +50°C), eliminating time-lapse errors in data.
Because the specimen withstands tens of tons of tension during the test, the energy released instantly if an insulator fractures is extremely dangerous.	Rock-Solid Safety Interlocks
Therefore, the equipment comes standard with a comprehensive safety interlocks system, including mechanical travel limiters, hydraulic overload protection, and high-temperature alarms.
This not only maximizes the safety of on-site operators but also effectively prevents structural damage to the equipment itself.
In modern quality assurance systems, data integrity and traceability are the core of technical support. Our Thermal-mechanical Testing Machine is equipped with a proprietary PC-based control architecture.	Real-Time Data Monitoring and Compliance Report Generation
The software interface supports real-time data visualization, allowing operators to view and monitor the synchronized “Tension-Time” and “Temperature-Time” curves live on screen for the full 96 hours (four 24-hour cycles).
Upon test completion, the system’s robust report generator automatically aggregates the test data, allowing users to customize report information (such as company name, specimen batch number, graphical plots) and export international-standard PDF or Excel reports with one click.
The multi-language operating interface (including English and Chinese) greatly facilitates collaboration and data review for multinational power engineering teams.

Question:	How to test thermal-mechanical performance of insulators ?
Answer:	Testing the thermal-mechanical performance of insulators requires a comprehensive device integrating an environmental temperature chamber and a tensile testing machine.
	First, install the specimen in the test cabin and connect the upper and lower tension grips. Then, according to IEC 61109 or IEC 60575 standards, set four 24-hour alternating cold and hot cycles (e.g., from +50°C to -35°C) via the control software.
	Simultaneously with the temperature cycling, the hydraulic system must apply a tension equal to 50% or 60%-65% of its Specified Mechanical Load (SML) to the insulator.
	The entire process lasts 96 hours, during which the equipment records force and temperature degradation or displacement in real time to evaluate its performance.
Question:	What to note when buying a Thermal-mechanical test chamber for composite insulators ?
Answer:	When purchasing a test chamber specifically for composite insulators, procurement personnel should focus on three key technical indicators:
	Continuous load-holding capability: Composite insulator standards require continuous load application over 96 hours; the hydraulic or servo system must be capable of holding pressure for a long time without dropping the load.
	Temperature and humidity uniformity: The internal air circulation design must ensure that long insulators (e.g., specimens up to 1.6 meters) are heated and cooled absolutely uniformly at both ends.
	Software flexibility and safety: It must feature power-off memory, real-time curve recording, and a safe buffering mechanism for the exact moment of specimen fracture.
Question:	Why choose a professional IEC 61109 insulator testing equipment manufacturer ?
Answer:	Choosing an experienced manufacturer like Wewon Environmental Chambers Co., Ltd. means you are procuring not just a machine, but a turnkey solution validated by high-voltage laboratories across multiple countries.
	A professional IEC 61109 insulator testing equipment manufacturer deeply understands the nuances of IEC and GB/T standards and can preset compliant test programs in the underlying control logic of the equipment.
	Furthermore, professional after-sales technical support and quality assurance commitments ensure your laboratory can consistently and accurately issue widely recognized insulator performance test reports for decades to come.

In real-world power grids, especially in coastal or heavy industrial areas, insulators are constantly subjected to severe surface contamination. To accurately assess their electrical performance, leakage current, and flashover resistance under these combined environmental stressors, testing must be conducted according to stringent international standards. To completely upgrade your high-voltage insulator testing laboratory and ensure absolute field reliability, we highly recommend exploring our [IEC 60507 Artificial Pollution Test Chamber] as the perfect complementary equipment.