Electrical components and equipment - Environmental testing

Electricity and electronics affect a wide variety of sectors. Some of the main sectors concerned include :

• energy ;

• industry ;

• aeronautics, space and defense;

• transport (automotive and rail) ;

• oil and chemicals.

Needs are growing in number, functions are becoming increasingly complex, and reliability and safety requirements are becoming ever more stringent. What's more, for reasons of cost and space optimization, products are often used at peak performance in very harsh environments (e.g. electronic components under the hood in the automotive industry). In this context, electrical components and equipment have to be qualified to the very highest standards before they can be marketed. Environmental testing is one of the tools used to validate the suitability of a product for the intended conditions of use. These tests are included in the product specifications. This contractual document, generally drawn up by the customer, must include :

• details of the mission profile (from manufacture to disposal);

• environment data associated with the mission profile (databases) ;

• justification of the environment to be simulated (influential constraints, experience-based levels, kinetic models);

• description of the environmental test program to be carried out (testing standards in the field).

Generally speaking, the behavior of a product subjected to environmental constraints is studied using tests and/or test sequences inspired by standards relating to the field of activity concerned. The main advantages of using standards are:

• to have a precise description of the test; the description of the test must include all the parameters which can influence the test result and, preferably, only those parameters which actually have an influence, so as to optimize the implementation of the test;

• use a test recognized by the main players in the field concerned.

Normative documents in the electrical and electronics field come from organizations such as :

• at the international level: International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), Comité Européen de Normalisation Électrotechnique (CENELEC);

• at national level: Union Technique de l'Électricité (UTE), Electronic Industry Association (EIA), Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC)...

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