Dual purpose pressure chamber with automatic safety devices for animal studies

¹ National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

The construction and operation of a chamber with positive (up to 500 psi) or negative (simulated altitude to 50,000 ft) pressure with small animals is described. Special regulatory and safety features for low-pressure studies include a barometer connected electrically with a ventilation valve which automatically prevents a pressure drop (less than 100 ft simulated altitude) below a predetermined point, and a valve to prevent backflow of water from the vacuum pump in case of power or equipment failure. A means of controlling the temperature within 1 C is described. For low-pressure work, the chamber is also provided with clear Lucite doors, one of which opens automatically when the pressure is equalized.

Submitted on March 26, 1963