Accelerated Testing and Validation

Alex Porter is engineering development manager at Entela, where he supervises testing and validation programs at five different locations. His managerial responsibilities include testing and validation software development, design of testing methods and procedures, and analysis of test results. He holds three patents for testing methods and has written articles for such magazines as Compliance Engineering and has given technical seminars in testing and validation methods for the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Accelerated Testing and Validation Methods is a cross-disciplinary guide that describes testing and validation tools and techniques throughout the product development process. Alex Porter not only focuses on what information is needed but also on what tools can produce the information in a timely manner. From the information provided, engineers and managers can determine what data is needed from a test and validation program and then how to select the best, most effective methods for obtaining the data.This book integrates testing and validation methods with a business perspective so readers can understand when, where, and how such methods can be economically justified. Testing and validation is about generating key information at the correct time so that sound business and engineering decisions can be made. Rather than simply describing various testing and validation techniques, the author offers readers guidance on how to select the best tools for a particular need, explains the appropriateness of different techniques to various situations and shows how to deploy them to ensure the desired information is accurately gathered.

PrefaceWhat's on the companion website?Chapter 1: The Time Value of InformationHistorical Business Models and the Information NeededWorking Group Structure (Entrepreneur)Modern Business Models and the Information NeededChapter 2: Precise But Useless DataAccurate But Not BeneficialPrecise TestChapter 3: What Not To KnowScenario One: A key physical property is wrongScenario Two: A primary failure mode of a productScenario Three: The Mean Time to Failure (MTTF)Chapter 4: Accelerated Testing CatelogTOOL NAME: Design Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (DFMEA)TOOL NAME: Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)TOOL NAME: Fully Censored TestingTOOL NAME: Step Stress TestingTOOL NAME: Accelerated ReliabilityTOOL NAME: Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT)TOOL NAME: Failure Mode Verification Test (FMVT)TOOL NAME: Computer ModelingChapter 5: Design Failure Mode Effects Analysis (DFMEA)Basic DFMEAHypothesis and the DFMEAChapter 6: Fully Censored TestingRepresentativeHomogeneousWhen to Use It?Chapter 7: Step Stress TestingLife Test Stresses and LevelsStepping MagnitudeBusiness StyleChapter 8: Trading Stress for TimeBasic PrinciplesDescription of Accelerated Reliability MethodSingle Variable ModelTwo-Variable ModelThree-Variable ModelChapter 9: Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT)A Typical HALTHot Temperature StepsCold Temperature StepsRamp RatesVibrationCombined RunBusiness StructuresChapter 10: Failure Mode Verification Testing (FMVT)Development FMVTMore About StressMore About FailuresMore About Setup and ExecutionMore on Data AnalysisComparison FMVTFMVT Life Prediction - Equivalent Wear and Cycle CountingFMVT WarrantyMore on VibrationReliability and Design MaturityBusiness ConsiderationsChapter 11: Computer and Math ModelingMath ModelsFinite Element Analysis (FEA)Boundary Conditions and AssumptionsBusiness ConsiderationsChapter 12: Hybrid TestingFully Coupled and Partially Coupled Hybrid TestsThe Field as a Test MethodChapter 13: Validation Synthesis ModelThe Primary QuestionTimingEfficiencyChapter 14: Downspout Generator ExampleDownspout Generator (DGS)Basic NumbersResearch (Day 0-30)Feasibility (Day 30-60)Development/Design (Day 60-150)Design Validation (Day 150-180)Production Validation (Day 180-210)Production (Day 210-1095)About the AuthorIndex