Technical approval: Adetests validates its expertise in pyrotechnics

Adetests, a subsidiary of the Emitech Group, carries out tests in vibratory and climatic environments. The laboratory carries out tests and studies to test equipment for vibration, shock and other mechanical requirements, whether or not combined with thermal constraints. Adetests announces the validation of its technical approval in a specific activity: mechanical and climatic testing for pyrotechnic equipment.

At its Saint-Chamond site, between Lyon and Saint-Etienne, the Adetests laboratory carries out daily testing in climatic-mechanical environments. The laboratory also specializes in fluid resistance and NBC decontamination testing, as well as high-frequency (up to 10,000Hz) and high-level mechanical shock testing.
Almost half of Adetests' business is in the defense sector. In response to a customer's need to outsource its pyrotechnic equipment testing campaigns, Adetests launched its feasibility and safety study in this field in 2021. The laboratory already had the vibration equipment and climatic testing facilities dedicated to this type of testing. "This type of demand was growing, so we decided to take steps to comply with the legislation, which is very specific".explains Maxime RIDEL, Adetests Center Manager.

"We can classify pyrotechnic equipment into three main categories: show pyrotechnics, with which everyone is familiar, such as firecrackers and fireworks; the pyrotechnic part of industrial actuators, where pyrotechnic effects are used to actuate actuators, pushers, release systems (for space applications, for example) or ejection release systems. Finally, the pyrotechnics of destruction and rupture, which concern explosions found in particular in the following fields
military, with equipment on missiles, and even on rockets for the aerospace sector", says Mr. RIDEL. "We carry out tests for 2 of these 3 main families: pyrotechnic breakthroughs, i.e. related to military weapons, but also detonators for quarries and industrial actuators. he continues.

A rigorous validation process

An occupational safety study (EST), which specifies the management of receiving operations, storage in warehouses - at Adetests, areas well away from other buildings - and the removal and handling of explosive materials.

The work areas and equipment used for testing pyrotechnic equipment have been identified and located according to a precise plan. This site map then defines Zx effect zones, classified from 1 (lethal risk) to 5 (no lethal danger), which describe the potential damage in the event of an explosion, as well as safety perimeters and zone markings. As soon as a test is set up, messages are broadcast on site by loudspeaker to warn of the launch of the campaign. The safety study also defined the equivalent quantity of TNT authorized on the site, i.e. 5 kg.

The laboratory received project management support from a consulting firm specializing in pyrotechnic risk. The French armaments inspectorate for powders and explosives (IPE) gave a favorable opinion on the Adetests safety study in order to obtain technical approval from the prefecture. This study ensures that Adetests' pyrotechnic activities on its site are under control.

In addition to this activity, Adetests holds temporary authorizations for the storage of weapons and
war material. This certifies that the laboratory complies with various decrees and articles of law in order to operate a storage depot for pyrotechnic products and carry out tests. Adetests has a staff of 16, including 7 people specially authorized (individual authorization issued by the prefecture) to carry out tests on pyrotechnic equipment, from test supervisors to project managers.

Validation of tests on pyrotechnic equipment combined with COFRAC accreditation, an unprecedented combination for a laboratory in France.

"Before validating test conditions on pyrotechnic equipment, we were already recognized in our fields of expertise for the quality of our work in terms of testing, notably via our COFRAC accreditation, which attests to our compliance with quality standards such as NF EN ISO/CEI 17025 applicable to the field of testing laboratories. "The validation of Adetests' pyrotechnic equipment activities, in addition to COFRAC accreditation, is a guarantee of technical expertise and confidence for our test customers in the field. Today, this validation shows them that we are in a position to carry out tests with complete confidence, in compliance with regulations and under controlled conditions, from the arrival of the material to the return of the equipment and the issue of the test report", concludes Mr. Ridel.

www.adetests.com
About Emitech Group - www.emitech.fr Emitech was founded in 1989 and, together with its subsidiaries Eurocem, Adetests, Environne'Tech, Pieme, Lefae, EMC, EEA and R&D Moteurs, forms the Emitech Group. With 600 employees and expected sales of almost €70 million in 2023, the Emitech Group has become an ETI. The Emitech Group is a family-owned and operated business, with its head office in Montigny-le-Bretonneux (78). The Group operates 18 sites with test centers dedicated to the design and validation of current and future mobility solutions... and to the qualification, CE marking and marketing of products of all kinds. Profits are fully reinvested, and investments amounting to 12 to 20% of sales are made each year, enabling the Group to expand its range of services. Several of the Group's projects have received government support (Ademe, France Relance). The services offered by the Emitech Group relate to environmental requirements, and include testing and engineering, training, bench design and metrology. These tests and engineering services focus on sustainable mobility, the safety of goods and people, the construction of product robustness, and support for the marketing of products in Europe and worldwide. The Emitech Group is a major player in the implementation of standards that protect consumers and our industries.
It is a notified body for several European directives. It also contributes to national sovereignty by enabling the qualification of defense-related equipment in France. 40% of the Group's activities are directly linked to sustainable mobility. The Emitech Group is also involved in the evaluation of anti-pollution devices with the Euro6 and now Euro7 measures to support automakers and equipment manufacturers in their objectives of lowering pollutant emissions. The Emitech Group's services cover the whole spectrum of sustainable mobility, from electric-assist bicycles to eVTOLs.