Luminaire in the wind tunnel test

The SPANDAU LED easily withstands the compressive load of 5,790 pascals - and even considerably more.

With the dynamic pressure test in the wind tunnel, the LED luminaire from NORKA SPANDAU proves its safe use in high-speed tunnels. The reason is obvious: high-speed trains generate enormous pressure waves in the air of a tunnel, and the lighting must permanently withstand these loads. What is interesting about the test are the details of its implementation. The Göttingen high-pressure wind tunnel of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) utilises the fact that the same physical effects are achieved under increased Luminaire in the wind tunnel test pressure as would occur at higher speeds. This allows high wind speeds to be simulated – for example, the 350 kilometres per hour (97 metres per second) required in the test through the combination of 15 bar pressure and 28 metres per second speed. The system at the Institute of Aeroelasticity can generate a maximum pressure of 100 bar and a speed of 35 metres per second. When measuring the luminaire, the engineers used 14 acceleration sensors to measure how great the load on the housing and mounting was and what level of vibration they were subjected to. The SPANDAU LED easily withstands the compressive load of 5,790 pascals – which corresponds to the dynamic pressure at a wind speed of 350 kilometres per hour. But it can withstand even more. The test was stopped when 6,970 pascals were reached, a much higher value than required for tunnel conditions.

Strict regulations for the area close to the track

The luminaire was specially developed for lighting tunnels, corridors and underpassses. Its extremely widebeam "Batwing" light distribution allows generous luminaire spacing of up to 17 metres. This reduces the number of light points and so also reduces investment, operating and maintenance costs. Its stainless-steel wall bracket, synthetic housing and polycarbonate luminaire cover make the lighting appliance extremely robust – a fact which was impressively underscored by the pressure test. Strict regulations apply to suppliers of lighting for trackside areas. In addition to the specifications and regulations of the EN 60598 and EN 12464 standards, they also must comply with the company's own electrical and lighting guidelines and planning specifications for the safety of employees and customers.

NORKA Norddeutsche Kunststoff- und Elektro-Gesellschaft Stäcker mbH & Co.KG Hall 5.2 | 800