Brief overview for management and participants

Classical approach to thermal environmental testing – simulation

Purpose of environmental testing during development

Temperature testing

• Test requirements – sources and applications
• Test equipment
• Chambers –heating, cooling and control
• Instrumentation: sensors, readouts, recording
• Setting up for a typical test
• Test item preparation
• Conducting the test
• Recording of data
• Data reduction and interpretation

The following 12 topics have similar subtopics:

• Temperature shock testing
• Altitude testing
• Humidity testing
• Solar radiation testing
• Rain testing
• Immersion testing
• Icing/Freezing rain testing
• Fungus testing
• Salt fog testing
• Sand and Dust testing
• Explosive atmosphere testing
• Space Simulation

Purpose of HALT – Highly Accelerated Life Testing

Purpose of environmental stress screening (ESS) as production step

• Initially 100%; later sampling
• Commonly-used tools: thermal ramping and random vibration

• Importance of rapid thermal ramping
• Opportunity to determine and extend limits during product development

Determining and extending limits – stimulation

• HALT – highly accelerated life testing during product development
• HASS – highly accelerated stress screening (post production)
• ESS – Environmental stress screening of electronics hardware production
• Philosophical differences from testing – stimulation vs. simulation Multiple- vs. conventional single-axis-at-a-time vibration
• Conventional single-axis
• Mechanical and pneumatic repetitive shock (RS) stimulators

Attachment fixtures; vacuum hold-downs

Witnessing of tests

Course summary, optional final examination, award of certificates