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Environmental Testing Procedures

Course No. 425

(Course Outline shown below.)

For Whom Intended This course is for test laboratory managers, engineers and technicians. It also helps quality and reliability specialists and acquisition personnel in government and military activities and their contractors. It is designed to serve the needs of personnel in a wide range of industries.

Brief Course Description The course begins with an introduction and review of the many factors that must be addressed in order to undertake a meaningful environmental test. The instructor next discusses various environmental test applications such as product development, reliability, acceptance, qualification, life cycle, fatigue, accelerated, functional, endurance etc. Specific types of environmental tests including vibration, shock, vacuum, acoustic, thermal, climatic, and accelerated testing are discussed.

For each environmental test area, the basic theory is introduced along with examples of various test applications so that the students can gain a better appreciation for the subject matter prior to delving into the detailed test equipment, methods, and procedures.

For each testing environment, the course discusses the key features of the test facilities as well as the associated test equipment, including instrumentation and fixtures. Students will gain familiarity with specific test practices and procedures, including test levels and durations. This will include reviewing applicable specifications and standards, generating a test plan, and defining what is expected from the test. Options such as test tailoring and deviation from written requirements of test documentation will also be explored.

The course is presented as a series of highly-interactive lecture/discussion sessions. Special-interest discussions are encouraged outside of the regular course sessions.

Certificate Programs This course is required for TTi’s Environmental Engineering Specialist (EES) and Climatic Test Specialist (CTS) Certificate programs. It is an elective for any other TTi specialist certificate program.

Prerequisites There are no definite prerequisites. However, this course is aimed toward individuals involved in related technical fields. Supervisors are invited to contact TTi on prospective attendees’ backgrounds and needs.

Text Each student will receive a course workbook, including most of the viewgraphs used in the course presentation.

Course Hours, Certificate and CEUs Open courses meet seven hours per day. Upcoming presentation dates can be found on our current open course schedule. Class hours/days for on-site courses can vary from 14-35 hours over 2-5 days as requested by our clients. Upon successful course completion, each participant receives a certificate of completion and one Continuing Education Unit (CEU) for every ten class hours.

Course Outline No. 425

Introduction to Environmental Test Procedures
- Environment Simulation
- Simulation Complexity
- Test Tailoring
- Overview of environments to be covered in class
- Test Facilities
  - Adaptability
  - Control Capability
  - Consistency
Environmental Testing
- Objective
- Testing a Hypothesis
- Development Testing
- Design Verification Test
- Conservatism and Margins
- Qualification Testing
- Development Tests: Accelerated Testing
- “Life” Testing
- Types of “Life” Tests
  - Short-Term: Step-Stress
  - Long-Term: Fatigue & Durability
- Fatigue Life vs. Service Life
- Acceptance Testing
- Contractual Compliance Testing
- Production Test
- Monitoring Production Quality
Review of Vibration Theory
- Degrees of Freedom
- Single-Degree-of-Freedom (SDoF)
- SDoF--Sinusoidal Relationships
- Forced Vibration
- Transmissibility
- Effect of Damping
- Isolation
- Damping Ratio
- Random Vibration
  - Special Definitions
  - Spectral Density
  - Calculating the RMS
Vibration Test Procedures
- Sine Vibration Testing
- Closed Loop Control
- Sweep Rates
- Resonant Search
- Fixture Evaluation
- Random Vibration Testing
- Choice of Test Procedures
- Types of Vibration tests
  - Swept Sine
  - Fixed Sine
  - Wide Band Random
  - Fixed Center Frequency Narrow Random
  - Swept Narrow Random
  - Combinations
- Vibration Test Method: Equipment Operation, Severities
- Tolerances: Sinusoidal and Random Vibration
- Excitation Control Options
- Test Set-up and Preparation
- Test Procedures
  - Swept Sine
  - Fixed Frequency Vibration
  - Random Vibration
- Failure Criteria
- Force Limited Vibration Testing
- Acceleration-Controlled Vibration Testing
Review of Shock Theory
- What is Shock?
- Measuring and Analyzing Mechanical Shock
- Shock Response Spectrum
- Shock Synthesis
- Pulse Characterization
- Classical Shock
- Pulse Characterization
Shock Test Procedures
- Shock Tests
  - Purpose, Application
- Effect of Environment
- Pneumatic Drop Test Machine
- Free-Fall Machine
- Navy Impact Machines
  - “Light-Weight” Shock Tester
  - Pendulum Type
- Transients
  - Moderate-Level and/or Mid-Frequency Transients
  - Low Frequency Transients
  - Oscillatory Transients
- Decaying Oscillatory Acceleration
- Shock from Vibration Shaker
- Equipment Operation, Severities
- Tolerances
- Control Strategy
- Gravity and the Load Factor
- Test Setup
- Calibration
- Sample Shock Test Procedures
  - Functional
  - Transit Drop
  - Bench Handling
  - Crash Hazard
  - Rail Impact
  - Pyrotechnic Shock
- Failure Criteria
- Protective Packaging
  - Product Fragility
  - Damage Boundary Theory
  - Step Velocity and Step Acceleration
  - Damage Boundary Graph
Introduction to Acoustic Testing Procedures
- Acoustic Theory, Applications
- Acoustic Test Equipment
  - Sound Generators
  - Microphones
  - Microphone Selection
  - Test Chambers and Systems
- Acoustic Testing Methods
  - Emissions
  - Noise Suppression, Cancellation
Vacuum Testing
- Vacuum Theory
- Vacuum Level vs Application
- Application Examples
- Vacuum Equipment
  - Low and High-Vacuum Pumps
  - Low and High-Vacuum Gauges
  - Plumbing and seals
- Vacuum Testing Methods
  - Vacuum System Operation
  - Leak Rate Measurements
  - Outgassing Measurements
Thermal Testing
- Heat Transfer and Thermal Theory
- Convection, Conduction
- Thermal Equipment
  - Heaters & Chillers
    - Heat pipes
  - Instrumentation
    - RTDs and PRTs
    - Thermocouples
    - IR non-contact probes
    - Colored crystals
  - Test Chambers and Systems
- Thermal Testing Methods
  - Atmospheric vs. Altitude or Vacuum
  - Thermal Cycling
  - Thermal Balance
  - Thermal Shock
  - Climatic Tests-For Commercial Devices
    - Low Temperature Test
    - High Temperature Test
    - Temperature Shock Test
    - Temperature Cycling Test
Additional Climatic Testing Procedures
- Humidity
- Humidity Cycling
- Solar Radiation
- Rain Test
- Salt Fog
- Sand and Dust
- Industrial Atmosphere (Gaseous)
- Fungus
Accelerated Testing
- Reducing Test Time
- Test Assumptions
- Which Environmental Forcing Functions Are Best?
- Rates of Test Acceleration
- Accelerated Test Models
- Miner’s “Rule”
- Principles of Test Time Compression
- Two Types of Test Acceleration
  - Higher Frequency of Occurrence
  - Exaggerate Load Levels
- Accelerated Test Cautions
Summary, Discussion
Award of Certificates for Successful Completion

Printable (.pdf) version of course outline no. 425 ( Adobe Acrobat Reader required).

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