Accelerated life testing
Encyclopedia
Accelerated life testing is the process of testing a product by subjecting it to conditions (stress, strain, temperatures etc.) in excess of its normal service parameters in an effort to uncover faults and potential modes of failure in a short amount of time. By analyzing the product's response to such tests, engineer
s can make prediction about the service life and maintenance intervals of a product. To accelerate a test, engineers use several techniques. Commonly, the rate of loading is increased. For example, an automotive suspension spring may be tested at several hundred compression–rebound cycles per minute. In service, the spring may experience one hundred or fewer cycles per minute. As a result, the spring fails sooner, but at the same number of cycles, so good data is collected, but in a much shorter time than it could be gathered in the actual application.
In polymer
s, testing may be done at elevated temperatures to produce a result in a shorter amount of time than it could be produced at ambient temperatures. Many mechanical properties of polymers have an Arrhenius
type relationship with respect to time and temperature (for example, creep, stress relaxation, and tensile properties). If one conducts short tests at elevated temperatures, that data can be used to extrapolate the behavior of the polymer at room temperature, avoiding the need to do lengthy, and hence expensive tests.
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
s can make prediction about the service life and maintenance intervals of a product. To accelerate a test, engineers use several techniques. Commonly, the rate of loading is increased. For example, an automotive suspension spring may be tested at several hundred compression–rebound cycles per minute. In service, the spring may experience one hundred or fewer cycles per minute. As a result, the spring fails sooner, but at the same number of cycles, so good data is collected, but in a much shorter time than it could be gathered in the actual application.
In polymer
Polymer
A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...
s, testing may be done at elevated temperatures to produce a result in a shorter amount of time than it could be produced at ambient temperatures. Many mechanical properties of polymers have an Arrhenius
Arrhenius
Arrhenius may refer to* Carl Axel Arrhenius , Swedish chemist and discoverer of the element yttrium* Niklas Arrhenius, Swedish discus thrower* Svante Arrhenius , Swedish physical chemist and 1903 Nobel laureate...
type relationship with respect to time and temperature (for example, creep, stress relaxation, and tensile properties). If one conducts short tests at elevated temperatures, that data can be used to extrapolate the behavior of the polymer at room temperature, avoiding the need to do lengthy, and hence expensive tests.
See also
- Research and developmentResearch and developmentThe phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
- Product managementProduct managementProduct management is an organizational lifecycle function within a company dealing with the planning, forecasting, or marketing of a product or products at all stages of the product lifecycle....
- Service lifeService lifeA product's service life is its expected lifetime, or the acceptable period of use in service. It is the time that any manufactured item can be expected to be 'serviceable' or supported by its manufacturer....
- Reliability (engineering)
- Highly Accelerated Life TestHighly Accelerated Life TestA highly accelerated life test , is a stress testing methodology for accelerating product reliability during the engineering development process. It is commonly applied to electronic equipment and is performed to identify and thus help resolve design weaknesses in newly-developed equipment...
- Accelerated agingAccelerated agingAccelerated aging is testing that uses aggravated conditions of heat, oxygen, sunlight, vibration, etc. to speed up the normal aging processes of items. It is used to help determine the long term effects of expected levels of stress within a shorter time, usually in a laboratory by controlled...