Safety testing of spark-containing materials begins with simulations of limit conditions. NASA’s plasma arc test on tungsten copper composite spark-containing components in 2023 shows that at the heat flux density of 15 MW/m² and 20 arc impacts per second, when the temperature gradient of the material surface is 3000°C/s, the mass loss rate is uniform at 0.05 mg/cm²·h. 58% lower than the ISO 2685:2020 standard. In Tesla Energy Laboratory’s rapid aging test, after 5000 thermal shock cycles between -40°C and 120°C, the interface stripping area of the spark bearing coating of hydrogen fuel cell bipolar plate was only 0.3%, and the electrical conductivity attenuation rate is less than 1.5%, much greater than DOE’s requirement of 2000 cycles.
Mechanical property testing is the core of safety testing. European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has done a multi-axis fatigue test on Airbus A350 Spread-bearing engine support. Under the vibration load of amplitude ± 2.5mm and frequency 50 Hz, the titanium matrix composite is tested for 1×10 cycles and the crack propagation length is controlled to 0.8mm. 73% lower probability of failure than conventional nickel alloys. Torai, Japan, has achieved the ultimate strength of 2.4 GPa in static tensile tests, failure strain rate of 2.1%, and the weight is 40% less than aviation aluminum but with the same stiffness, and passed the FAA 25.853 fire certification 1100°C/15 minute burning test successfully.
Chemical compatibility tests indicate the environmental stability of the material. According to a report released by Saudi Aramco in 2022, the molybdenum-coated spark-bearing valve has a service life of 3,000 hours operating in an acidic environment with 200 ppm concentration of H₂S and pressure of 70 MPa, and the rate of corrosion is only 0.002 mm/year, which is 96% less than that allowed by the API 6A standard. The double 85 test (85°C/85% relative humidity) of Ningde Times for solid state batteries with collector fluid bearing spark demonstrated that its ion mobility maintained the initial value of 98.7% after 1000 charge and discharge and the inhibiting efficiency of lithium dendrite was as high as 99.2%, which led the UL 1973 certification pass rate to 92.5%, a record in the industry.
Industry certification and real-world data confirm each other. Siemens Gamesa’s offshore wind power spark bearing drift bearing successfully completed DNV GL’s 24-month accelerated test in sea fog environment at the concentration of 22 g/m³ for Cl⁻. The depth of pitting is less than 5 μm, and the grease contaminating rate maintains at 0.03 g/h. It has maintained the zero fault record of a single 20 MW wind turbine during a Class 12 typhoon in the North Sea. Boeing 787 spark bearing fuel nozzle went through the FAA test conditions of 30,000 hot and cold shock cycles (-54°C to 260°C transient), the flow deviation is always below ±0.8%, fuel atomization particle size Dv90 consistent at 25± 3μm, assist engine fuel consumption reduced by 6.2%. These extreme tests set a confidence interval for the safety of spark-bearing technology from laboratory to industry.