Environmental Testing

K M Deshmukh
In Charge – TUV India P Ltd.
TUV Nord Group Germany
 Environmental Testing
What is & Why Environmental Testing?
• Reliability of Electronic product depends largely on the
operating conditions and environments that are encountered
during the entire life of a product.
• It is therefore important that the product should perform
satisfactorily under various environmental conditions and
stresses
• Environmental testing is intended to demonstrate with some
degree of assurance that a product will survive and perform
under specified environmental conditions
• Environmental testing is a laboratory process wherein an
Electronic product is subjected to various environmental
conditions, and its performance checked against the design
parameters and specifications
 Environmental Testing

What is & Why Environmental Testing?

Evaluating an electronic product should not be limited to
evaluating its performance and function but it is
important to determine :
1. At what level can the performance be maintained and for how long?
2. How does the performance varies with the change in the environment
and its severity it encounters
i.e. how is the Quality and Reliability of the product?
Quality defects occurring after a product is placed in the market not
only add to the cost but also affects reputation of the manufacturer
To avoid such damages ,Quality must be confirmed and ensured
before the Product is placed into the market
Environmental Testing not only confirms and ensures Quality and
Reliability but is also a indispensable prerequisite to
“ QUALITY ASSUARANCE”
 Environmental Testing

Environmental Tests can be broadly classified into :

• Climatic Environmental Tests:

deal with temperature, humidity, pressure, etc
• Mechanical Environmental Tests:
deal with shock, vibration, etc
• Combined Environmental Tests:
deal with a combination of the above two
e.g. temperature + humidity + vibration
Environmental Testing
 Environments and their effects
High Temperature (Dry Heat)
Principle Effects:
Thermal Aging – oxidation, cracking, chemical reactions, softening,
melting, sublimation, viscosity reduction, evaporation, expansion
Imposes a particularly severe stress on most components and equipment
since it can not only cause catastrophic failures such as melting of solders and
burnout of solid state devices but also slow progressive deterioration of
component performance levels due to chemical degradation effect.
Examples of some problems that could occur are:
• Variation/drift in R, L, C, Tan d, Dielectric constant values
• Overheating of wound components (e.g. Transformers) & electromechanical components
• Variation in Circuit Stability
• Softening /Swelling of Insulations
• Jamming of moving parts due to expansion
• Loss of viscosity of lubricants
• Alterations in the operating/release margins of relays, magnetically or thermally activated
devices
• Change in Material dimensions
• Deterioration of surface finishes
 Environments and their effects
Low Temperature (Cold)
Principle Effects:
Embrittlement, Ice formation, Increased Viscosity & Solidification, Loss of
Mechanical Strength ,Physical Contraction,

Examples of some problems that could occur are:

• Embrittles and lowers flexibility of rubbers and plastics (e.g. Seals of
capacitors, panel gaskets, etc.)
• Variation/drift in R, L, C, Tan d, Dielectric constant, values
• Change in performance of wound and electromechanical components
• Freezing of moisture : insulation failures
• Variation in Circuit Stability
• Increased wear of moving parts due to contraction or loss of mechanical
strength, stiffening of shock/vibration mounts
• Increase in viscosity of lubricants
• Condensation / freezing of water (cooling medium)
• Deterioration of surface finish
 Environments and their effects
Humidity (Damp Heat)
Principle Effects:
Moisture absorption or adsorption, Swelling, Loss of Mechanical strength,
Chemical reactions (e.g. corrosion, electrolysis), Increased conductivity
of insulations,

Examples of some problems that could occur are:

• Electrical Shorts, fogging of optical surfaces, changes in thermal transfer
characteristics due to condensation
• Swelling of seals and gaskets ( low humidity causes brittleness)
• Formation of surface films on metallic parts causing leakage paths and
degradation of insulation and dielectric properties
• Failure of wound components
• Mechanical failures , cracking etc.
• Deterioration of surface finish (corrosion)
 Environments and their effects
Pressure (Altitude)
Principle Effects:
High Pressure: Compression, deformation
Low Pressure: Expansion, Reduced electric strength of air,corona and
ozone formation, reduced cooling

Examples of some problems that could occur are:

• Mechanical Failures ; seals , gaskets (rupture of capacitor seals)
• Affects electronics used in aeronautics
• Component parameter drift causing unreliable performance
• Overheating due to reduced heat transfer
• Evaporation of lubricants
• Failure of hermetic seals
 Environments and their effects
Dust and Sand
Principle Effects:
Abrasion and erosion, Seizure, Clogging, reduced thermal conductivity,
electrostatic effects

Examples of some problems that could occur are:

• Marring and abrasion of surface finishes increasing friction and
temperature rise
• Contamination of lubricants
• Clogging of filters / pipes
• Electrical failures due to conductive dust
• Explosion/fire due to explosive dust
• Overheating due to reduced heat sinking causing drift in electrical /
electronic parameters
• Physical interference with mating parts ( mechanical alignment)
• Interference with optical characteristics.
 Environments and their effects
Corrosive Atmosphere (Salt Mist /Fog)
Principle Effects:
Chemical reactions (e.g. corrosion, electrolysis), surface deterioration,
increased conductivity and contact resistance

Examples of some problems that could occur are:

• Increased wear
• Mechanical failures due to corrosion of metal parts
• Electrical failures: degrades insulation, produces conductive coatings
( failure of wound components, pcbs.)
• Deterioration of surface finish: blistering of paint
 Environments and their effects
Vibration
Principle Effects:
Mechanical stress, fatigue, resonance
Vibration results in dynamic deflections of and within materials causing
structural fatigue ,mechanical wear of structures ,assemblies and parts
and disruption of normal functions and performance.
Examples of some problems that could occur are:
• Chafed wiring (leading to short circuits)
• Loose fasteners/components
• Breakage of component leads / mountings
• Intermittent electrical contacts
• Electrical shorts
• Deformed seals and mechanical parts
• Failed components
• Optical/mechanical misalignment
• Cracked &/or broken structures (PCBs)
• Particles & failed component lodged in circuitry or mechanisms
• Excessive electrical noise
• Excessive acoustic noise
• Deterioration of surface finish
 Environments and their effects
Shock (Mechanical)
Principle Effects:
Mechanical stress, fatigue, resonance
Shock test is performed to provide a degree of confidence that the
product can physically and functionally withstand the shocks
encountered in handling, transportation and operating environment.
Types of Shock tests: Bump, Drop/Topple, Impact
Examples of some problems that could occur are:
• Chafed wiring (leading to short circuits)
• Loose fasteners/components
• Breakage of component leads / mountings
• Intermittent electrical contacts
• Electrical shorts
• Deformed seals and mechanical parts
• Failed components
• Optical/mechanical misalignment
• Cracked &/or broken structures (PCBs)
• Particles & failed component lodged in circuitry or mechanisms
Environments and their effects
Environment Factors & Failures
 Environmental Tests

1. Dry Heat
2. Cold
3. Damp Heat (Humidity) Steady State & Cyclic
4. Salt Spray
5. Low Pressure (Altitude)
6. Dust
7. Vibration Sine and Random
8. Impact Shock and Bump
9. Free fall ,Drop and Topple
10. Mould growth
11. Ingress Protection
 Environmental Test Procedure

A Environmental test will normally comprise of the following operations:

1. Pre-conditioning
2. Initial examination and measurements
3. Conditioning
4. Recovery
5. Final examination and measurements
 Environmental Test Procedure
Data required to conduct a environmental test:
• Preconditioning : (if applicable) severity and duration [@ambient / other
temperature]
• Initial Examination & Measurements: Visual ,parameters to be
measured ,functional checks to be carried out
• Conditioning :
Severity :- e.g. Temp. ,% humidity, vibration- frequency, amplitude etc.
Duration :- in hours
Condition of test item:- with / without - electrical power/load
Monitoring:- parameters to be monitored during the conditioning
• Recovery: in hours (if applicable)
• Final Examination & Measurements: Visual, parameters to be
measured, functional checks to be carried out –
-during the test
-at the end of the test while product is in the test chamber
-or after recovery @ room ambient
 Environmental Test Standards

International
• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) :IEC 60068 series
• European : EN 60068 series
• US Military: MIL-STD-810 ,MIL-STD-202,MIL-STD-750,MIL-STD-883
• Japan : JIS C0010 series
Indian
• Domestic : IS 9000 series (Bureau of India Standards)
• Defence : JSS 55555 , JSS 50101
• Railway : RDSO
• Telecom : QM 333
Environmental Test Standards
Environmental Test Standards
Environmental Test Standards
 Equipment for Environmental Tests
Applicable standard: IEC 60068

For Climatic Tests:

Environmental Test Chambers

For Mechanical :
Vibration test systems
Impact test apparatus
Bump test machine

Ingress Protection :
Dust Chamber
Ingress test fingers
Water spray/immersion test setup
 Environmental Test Facilities in India

Environmental Test Facility should be Accreditted by NABL (comply with

the ISO 17025 standard)

• Electronic Regional Test Labs/Electronic Test and Devp. Centres

• ERDA Vadodara
• ARAI Pune
• VRDE Ahmednagar (DRDO lab)
 Thanks
For further information contact:
K M Deshmukh
In Charge - Product Certification
Auditor Ex / IEC Ex Certification
TUV India P Ltd Pune
dkishore@tuv-nord.com