At the GRTs Test Center there are conducted studies and tests of space-rocket hardware, products of transport, power engineering, building and chemical industries, medical equipment and household goods. The Test Center is accredited in the GOST R, FSS KT, SSPB certification system and disposed in ten industrial buildings equipped with present-day test facilities.

The space-rocket activities performed at the Test Center include full-scale tests of GRTs-designed missiles and systems, among them there are tests for all kinds of ground and flight loads under simulated vacuum and zero-G conditions.

The field of accreditation of the Test Center for civilian products is formed according to the demands of Ural enterprises and at present includes more than 400 items. In the course of 2008 certification tests of 220 products were performed. The traditional customers of tests are enterprises of Chelyabinsk, Sverdlovsk, Perm and Orenburg regions and Bashkortostan. The most “fascinating” tests are strength tests of metro tubing, 28-m trussed arches, testing of various types of electrical equipment designed by PO “Mayak” for nuclear power stations.

The tests conducted at the test facilities:

• strength tests (static loads, dynamic loads, bending, tension, compression, torque, cycling);
• leak-tightness test;
• mechanical test (dimensions, surface shape and positioning tolerances, surface roughness, coating hardness, moving element clearances, lever opening forces, tensile and compression forces, tightening torque etc.);
• vibration and noise tests;
• functional tests of automatics, control and safety systems;
• impact loads (shock strength, shock resistance, single impacts, repeated impacts);
• vibration loads (vibration strength, vibration resistance, harmonic actions, broad-band random vibration);
• seismic resistance test;
• electrical safety (leakage currents, insulation resistance, insulation strength, earthing, short-circuit current resistance, overlap spans, leakage paths and insulation distances, overload protection, tracking, blocking etc.);
• electrical characteristics of products (consumed power, current, voltage, volume resistivity, making and interrupting capacities, voltage waveform distortion factor etc.);
• check of paint and other non-metallic coatings;
• check of the product component heating temperature in various-mode operations;
• environmental resistance (heat resistance, cold endurance, temperature cycling, humidity resistance, hoarfrost and dew effects, sun effect, salt mist impact, corrosion stability);
• fire safety (direct flame effect, check for misconnections, hot wire test, test for thermal resistance and fire endurance);
• check of charge and discharge characteristics of power supply units and accumulators;
• check of the level of protection against penetration of foreign matters and water;
• transverse stability of trucks and tractors (tilting test);
• electromagnetic compatibility testing;
• radiographic, ultrasonic and electromagnetic inspection;
• testing of space rockets under vacuum and zero-g conditions;
• testing of space rocket control systems on the comprehensive simulation stand;
• hydrodynamic simulation tests in hydrodynamic tunnels and water tank;
• test of pneudraulic units and systems;
• test of cold water meters.

Strength test complex.

The complex is dedicated for static and cyclic tests. The tests are conducted on strength test stands, reinforced floor and wall.

The complex comprises:

• Test room. The room dimensions are 66x30 m. It has reinforced floor and wall and equipped with two traveling cranes, each of 10/50-tf lift capacity.
• Strength test stands. The strength test stands have a reinforced floor and two reinforced walls each. The peak load per each meter of any joint is up to 100 tf. The floor dimensions are 5900х4400 mm and 5000х3800 mm, the wall height is 5300 mm.
• Strength test equipment. The hydraulic power cylinders available provide single forces of up to 100 tf. The number of single force points is up to 20. The loading conditions are static. Quasidynamic loading of up to 75 tf, 0.1-10 Hz is possible. Mobile pumping stations allow to conduct tests at customer’s premises.
• The high-pressure balloons enable to load units of up to 3m in diameter and 10m high with an external water pressure of up to 7.5 MPa.
• Instrumentation system. The instrumentation system provides measurement of forces, pressures, displacements, relative strains, accelerations, temperatures. Application of special modules ensures operation in static and quasidynamic modes.

Tubing strength test

Vibration and impact test complex.

Intended for vibration and impact tests of products of up to 100 tons in a wide load range.

The complex includes:
Test halls and laboratories, vibration and impact test stands, technological equipment, multi-purpose instrumentation complex.

The basic stands:

• «Hydropulse» vibration test complex consisting of 6 stands of 12.5 tf and 4 stands of 25 tf, travel ± 125 mm, 0-200 Hz;
• electrohydraulic stands of up to 60 tf, 0-10 Hz;
• electrodynamic stands from 1.5 to 20 tf, 5- 2000 Hz;
• drop and pendulum impact test stands with a shock pulse amplitude of up to 10 000m/s² and duration of 1-6 ms for objects of up to 300kg and 1000 m/s² for objects of up to 2 tons;
• test stands to determine frequency and dynamic characteristics of the objects;
• centrifuga of 50-kg lift capacity and maximum acceleration of up to 1500 m/s²

Corrosion-climatic test complex.

Dedicated for accelerated climatic and corrosion tests of products.

The basic characteristics of climatic chambers:

• Chamber volume - 0.25-320 m³.
• Dimensions of heat and humidity test chambers: 20x4x4 m; cold test chambers: volume - 60 m³, gates - 3x3 m and 30 m³, gates 2x2 m. 20 heat and humidity, cold, water and salt mist testing chambers from 1 m³ to 8 m³ in volume.
• Temperature, from -(70±3)°C to +(120±3)°C.
• Relative humidity at 40-60°С is 20-98 %.
• Chamber pressure - from 10 mm Hg up to atmospheric one.
• Water mist (distilled water).
• Salt mist (NaCl solution), 0.001- 5%.

The climatic chambers

Vacuum-dynamic and acoustic test complex

Intended for vacuum and zero-g tests of rocket stage separation systems, spacecraft separation, equipment dynamic testing and acoustic tests.

The complex comprises:

• Vacuum-dynamic stand. Vacuum chamber diameter - 10 m, working section height - 60 m, vacuum – up to 0.001 mm Hg, test object mass – up to 30 tons.
• Small vacuum chamber. Chamber volume - 5 m³, vacuum – up to 10^-5 mm Hg.
• Acoustic reverberation chamber. Chamber volume - 120 m³, acoustic pressure - 158 dB.

The vacuum-dynamic stand

Hydrodynamic test complex.

Intended for hydrodynamic simulation tests in hydrodynamic tunnels and water tank, pneudraulic tests of assemblies and systems in a deep-water tank.

The complex consists of:

• Large high-speed hydrodynamic tunnels with vertical and horizontal working sections. The working section diameter is 1.2 m, length – 4 m, working section velocity – up to 30 m/s, specified incidence angles of test models – up to ± 18 degrees.
• Open hydrodynamic tank. Tank dimensions – 3x12x27 m, velocity of self-propelled models - up to 40 m/s, model mass – up to 100 kg.
• Deep-water tank. Tank volume – 3.2 m, height - 10 m, pressure - up to 56 kgf/cm².

The water tank	The large high-speed hydrodynamic tunnel with a horizontal working section
	The large high-speed hydrodynamic tunnel with a vertical working section

Comprehensive simulation stand.

Destined for physico-mathematical flight simulation. Allows to conduct repeated tests and debugging of control systems together with aircraft assemblies and subassemblies under conditions close to flight. Implements real angular motion of a vehicle, vibration effect on the equipment, simulation of astro-navigational conditions, pointing of vehicle antennae to navigation artificial Earth satellites, space effects and physical simulation of the influence of sea disturbance on the control system.

The comprehensive simulation stand