Track 1 Session 4
2:20 to 3:20 p.m. Wednesday March 26, 2008

Reliability Analysis and Test Planning for Vibration Fatigue Effects in Mechanical and Electromechanical Components

Reliability engineering employs a wide variety of reliability tests to achieve continuous reliability improvement throughout the entire life cycle of the system or device from design, to manufacturing, to usage, and until after failure. The successful implementation of Accelerated Reliability Stress Testing requires a thorough understanding of a product's failure modes as well as the proper selection of the screening test system and its capabilities. Without prior knowledge of product responses and the actual dynamic inputs produced by the test system, effective stress test results may be unachievable or may not be able to be replicated. Therefore, the product's failure modes and the test system's operating characteristics must be understood before selecting the proper stress function, stress magnitude and type of test equipment. This presentation will discuss:

- Types of structural testing and failure modes
- Equipment selection
- Definition of time domain vs. frequency domain
- When to consider vibration testing
- Stress levels and standard applications (such as MIL 810)
- Examples

Key Words: Reliability Testing, Vibration Testing, Stress Based Life Predictions, Fatigue Testing