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Air Leak Test Fixture

Design a test fixture to detect a leak on the order of 0.05ml over 10 minutes.

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Problem

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  • Detect a leak in a product equivalent to a leak that would cause failure during a 5-hour treatment.

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Challenge

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  • The off-the-shelf leak tester had an internal leak rate greater than the leak being tested.

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Solution

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  • Implement a manometer-type fixture that displays a drop in water level equivalent to the amount of air leaked from the product.

  • The solution relies only on a volumetric leak. To determine a pressure leak rather than a volumetric leak, the product volume would need to be known to a high degree of accuracy for each product; which is not possible given the variation from the assembly process.

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Product Failure Mode

A failure occurs during a 5-hour treatment if the leak is large enough to cause the membrane to occlude the orifice prior to the completion of the treatment. 

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