450 Environmental Test Specifications

For Whom Intended  This course is intended for commercial and government personnel involved with developing, applying, or reviewing environmental design and test specifications, standards and requirements. The target audience for this course includes:

  • Environmental engineering specialists
  • Environmental test laboratory personnel
  • Reliability and product assurance engineers
  • Product designers
  • Integrated Product Development Team leaders
  • Contract writers and administrators

 Brief Course Description  This course provides understanding and guidance about the contents and proper application of environmental design and test specifications, standards and requirements documents. For newcomers, this course will make environmental design and test less mysterious and formidable. Those with some experience will gain a better understanding, to recognize mistakes and repeat successes.

Harsh EnvironmentsProduct test and evaluation have undergone major changes in recent years. This course will show how these changes impact the function and responsibilities of the environmental engineering specialist. In addition, it will help the student successfully adapt to change by providing a perspective for using future environmental specifications and standards.

Environmental design and test standards are a combination of valuable lessons learned and repetitive dogma. The ability to recognize the conflicting statements in referenced documents and obtain clarification as to which statement needs to be followed in a particular case will prove valuable to participants. This course will be presented in an interactive lecture-discussion format; lectures will be interspersed with class project work sessions to reinforce the students' understanding of the course material. Students are encouraged to introduce problems and questions from their own work for group discussions.

Prerequisites  This course is intended for individuals who have completed all other formal training requirements for TTi’s Diploma Programs and have some familiarity with environmental test specifications and standards. Others who are not participating in the TTi EES program should have at least a basic understanding of environmental test procedures and facilities.

Diploma Programs  This course is required for TTi’s Environmental Engineering Specialist (EES), Dynamic Test Specialist (DTS) and Climatic Test Specialist (CTS) Diploma Programs and is recommended as the final course in the series. It may be used as an elective for any other Specialist Diploma Program.

Related Courses  For more detail on MIL-STD-810, see Course 451, Understanding MIL-STD-810G.

Text  Each student will receive 180 days access to the on-line electronic course workbook. Renewals and printed textbooks are available for an additional fee.

Course Hours, Certificate and CEUs  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.

Internet Complete Course 450 features over 11 hours of video as well as more in-depth reading material. All chapters of course 450 are also available as OnDemand Internet Short Topics. See the course outline below for details.

Click for a printable course outline (pdf).

Course Outline

Chapter 1 - The Role of Environmental Standards and Specifications

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  • How Test & Evaluation are changing
  • Difference between Specifications and Standards
  • Applying a standard
  • Where standards come from and how they are maintained
  • Measurement Standard
    • Definition
    • Example
    • Classification
    • Traceability
    • Responsible Organizations for Measurement Standards

Chapter 2 - Military vs. Commercial Specifications

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  • Modern environmental testing
  • Acquisition Reform
    • What prompted it?
    • What actions does it require?
  • Problems accompany Acquisition Reform
  • Are commercial standards better?

Chapter 3 - Environmental Testing

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  • A Value-Added Process
  • What Makes the "Same" Tests Different?
  • Testing a Hypothesis
  • Development Tests
  • Design Verification Tests
  • Qualification Tests
  • Development Tests: Accelerated Life Testing
    • Types of "Life" Tests:
      • Short-Term "Life" Tests: Step-Stress Testing
      • Long-Term "Life" Tests: Fatigue & Durability Testing
  • Acceptance Testing
  • Contractual Compliance Testing
  • Production Tests/ESS

Chapter 4 - Test Tailoring and Document Tailorability

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OnDemand Short Topics$150.00
  • Problems with "sacred relics & magic numbers" in environmental testing
  • Some sacred relics
    • 1-hour vibration test
    • Flat Vibration Test Profile
    • Simplistic g rms Syndrome
    • 6-grms vibration spectrum
    • 71 °C Temperature test
    • Uniform Test Temperatures
    • Single-purpose Humidity Test
    • 10-day Humidity test
    • "Standard" Salt Fog test
    • 15-g Avionics impact shock test
    • 20-g Automotive impact shock test
  • Environmental Test Standards-Tailorable?
  • Tailoring strategies
  • Integrated Product or Process Teams
  • Documentation

Chapter 5 - Accelerated Testing

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  • Reducing Test Time
  • Assumptions
  • What Does an Accelerated Test Accelerate?
  • Can Accelerated Testing Do What is Expected?
  • Environmental Forcing Functions
  • Different Environments, Different Effects
  • Different Rates of Test Acceleration
  • Critical Aspects of Accelerated Test Models Risks
  • Miner's "Rule" Cautions
  • Principles of Test Time Compression
  • Two ways to accelerate:
    • Higher Frequency of Occurrence or
    • Exaggerated Load Levels
  • Cautions
  • Margins

Chapter 6 - Review of Important Environmental Standards

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OnDemand Short Topics$250.00
  • MIL-STD-810E/F/G
  • MIL-HDBK-310 (formerly MIL-STD-210C)
  • MIL-HDBK-2164A
  • MIL-HDBK-344A
  • IEC 60068 Series
  • SAE J1211
  • Bellcore Technical Reference TR-EOP-000063

Chapter 7 - Applying Environmental Test Standards

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  • Technical Honesty
  • Management Involvement
  • Sound Business Practice

Chapter 8 - Developing Life Cycle Environmental Profiles (LCEPs)

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OnDemand Short Topics$150.00
  • Definition
  • Foundation for Test Tailoring
  • Integrating Engineering Information
  • LCEP in: Product Development, Accelerated Testing, Design Margins
  • Building LCEPs
    • Service Use Requirements
    • Applicable Platform Types
    • Product & Platform Characteristics
    • Logistics, Deployment, & Distribution Modes
    • Characterize and Quantify Service Use Environments

Chapter 9 - Introduction to ISO Quality Standards

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OnDemand Short Topics$50.00
  • ISO 9000
  • Accreditation, Certification, Registration
  • ISO 9001
  • Calibration, Measurement and Test Equipment
  • QS 9000-Quality System Requirements
  • ISO Standard 17025

Chapter 10 - Preparing and Reviewing Environmental Requirements

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OnDemand Short Topics$100.00
  • Elements of an Environmental Requirements Document
  • Expectations for a Test
  • Appropriate Environments
  • Test Levels, Duration
  • Product Operation During Tests
  • Interfaces and Boundary Conditions
  • Repeatable Procedures Don't Guarantee Repeatable Results!
  • Latent Defects vs. Infant Mortality
  • Levels of Assembly
  • Computer Assisted Tools: Cautions

Chapter 11 - Environmental Test Requirements Checklist

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OnDemand Short Topics$100.00
  • Administrative Concerns
    • Administrative Purpose of Test
    • What Test Documentation Is Required?
    • Schedule and Infrastructure Needs
    • Education and Training Needs
    • Security Issues
    • Regulatory Issues
    • Budget Planning and Tracking Requirements
    • Post-test Concerns
  • Technical Concerns
    • Define Technical Goals of the Test
    • Identify the product’s interface and utility support requirements
    • Identify the Necessary Test Fixtures and Facility Installation Provisions
    • Define the Test Implementation Issues

Appendix A - Excerpts from NASA CxP 70036

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OnDemand Short Topics$25.00
  • Constellation Program Environmental Qualification and Acceptance Testing Requirements (CEQATR)

Appendix B - Excerpts from MIL–STD–810G

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  • Contents
  • Forward
  • Table of Contents
  • Part I, Section 5 General Laboratory Test Method Guidelines
  • Method 501.4 High Temperature
  • Method 502.4 Low Temperature
  • Method 503.4 Temperature Shock
  • Method 520.3 Temperature, Humidity, Vibration and Altitude

Appendix C: - Excerpts from ADS-71-SP

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OnDemand Short Topics$25.00
  • Environmental Airworthiness And Qualification Requirements For Electronics, Avionics, and Mission Equipment Installed on Army Aircraft

Class Project Wrap-up

Course Review and Summary

Award of Certificates for Successful Course Completion

Click for a printable course outline (pdf).