What Exactly is MIL-STD 810?

MIL-STD 810 is a Department of Defense Test Method Standard for environmental engineering considerations and laboratory tests.  It is the most popular Military specification used to conduct environmental testing of military products.  It exists so as to ensure that products used for defense-related purposes meet very specific requirements with regard to ruggedness, durability, and performance.  Given the fact that these products may be exposed to harsh or even extreme conditions, their reliability under stress is essential

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HALT Testing: When Should You Perform It?

Highly Accelerated Life Testing, or HALT, is a technique used in the industry to speed up the design and test phases of product development, as well as limit the number of field failures and thus reduce warranty costs incurred by the manufacturer. 

HALT Testing can be a competitive advantage for companies when performed correctly and at the right time. 

The best time to begin HALT testing during the product development process is when prototypes first become available. HALT is designed to expose product flaws and weaknesses, therefore, a successful test will produce areas for product improvement.  A lot of designers and manufacturers tend to wait until the product design is mature.  At that time, further process improvements or design changes become too costly or timely.  Ideally, HALT should be performed while the product is still fluid and moderate changes don’t become setbacks.  This allows product design to move much more rapidly and efficiently, saving the company time and money.  HALT testing can also eliminate the need for further verification if the product has proven reliable at the much more extreme conditions exposed to in HALT. 

Delserro Engineering Solutions, Inc. (DES) has the knowledge and experience to provide HALT testing services for your product.  We offer both standard and customized test solutions depending on your testing needs.  For more information on HASS, HALT or other testing services, contact DES or call 610.253.6637.

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Salt Fog or Salt Spray Testing

Salt fog (aka salt atmosphere or salt spray) testing exposes components to a fine salt fog mist that can result in rusting or corrosion of susceptible materials.  Samples to be tested are hung or placed on a rack inside of the salt fog chamber at the orientation that is specified in the applicable test method or otherwise agreed to with the customer.  The orientation during testing is important as unintended corrosion can result if the salt fog is allowed to condense and pool on the sample.  The samples are then exposed to a salt fog of defined salt content.  The salt solution used to provide the salt fog mist is usually a 5 percent by weight NaCl solution with the pH adjusted close to 7.0.  The salt fog condensate rate is monitored during the test to verify that the test requirements are met.

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How to Implement a HASS Program

This article is a general outline on how to implement a HASS program after a successful HALT has been performed and corrective actions have been completed for any weaknesses found during HALT.  For more information about HASS, please read our blog, What is HASS Testing?  For more information about HALT, please read our blogs

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DES Performs Testing for NASA Psyche Program

NASA Psyche ProgramDelserro Engineering Solutions (DES) was proud to recently perform testing for the NASA Psyche Program.  More information about this program can be found at the following web link https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/psyche/.

DES was contracted by a local manufacturer to help qualify their product for use in the demanding Psyche spacecraft environment. DES’s role was to perform specialized pyroshock testing and vibration testing on their products.

What sets DES apart from other labs is our in-depth experience and technical capability to understand and reproduce the most complicated vibration and shock profiles. DES continues to perform the most complex vibration and shock tests on products that are used in outer space, rockets, missiles, automotive & truck environments, military environments, etc.

For more information on Pyroshock Testing, Shock Testing, Vibration Testing or other testing services, contact DES or call 610.253.6637.

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MIL-STD 810, Method 516, Shock Testing Procedure VI – Bench Handling

This is the final part of a series of blog posts concerning the MIL-STD 810 Shock Section, Method 516.  This blog was written with reference to MIL-STD-810G w/Change 1 dated 15 April 2014.  DES has the experience and expertise to run your MIL-STD-810 test.  For more information, please check out our DES shock testing services page and our other MIL-STD-810 shock testing blog articles:

MIL-STD 810, Method 516, Shock Testing Overview

MIL-STD 810, Method 516, Shock Testing Procedure I – Functional Shock

MIL-STD 810, Method 516, Shock Testing Procedure II – Transportation Shock

MIL-STD 810, Method 516, Shock Testing Procedure III – Fragility

MIL-STD 810, Method 516, Shock Testing Procedure IV – Transit Drop

MIL-STD 810, Method 516, Shock Testing Procedure V – Crash Hazard Shock

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MIL-STD 810, Method 516, Shock Testing Procedure V – Crash Hazard Shock

This is another part of a series of blog posts concerning the MIL-STD 810 Shock Section, Method 516.  This blog was written with reference to MIL-STD-810G w/Change 1 dated 15 April 2014.  DES has the experience and expertise to run your MIL-STD-810 test.  For more information, please check out our DES shock testing services page and our other MIL-STD-810 shock testing blog articles:

MIL-STD 810, Method 516, Shock Testing Overview

MIL-STD 810, Method 516, Shock Testing Procedure I – Functional Shock

MIL-STD 810, Method 516, Shock Testing Procedure II – Transportation Shock

MIL-STD 810, Method 516, Shock Testing Procedure III – Fragility

MIL-STD 810, Method 516, Shock Testing Procedure IV – Transit Drop

Crash hazard shocks apply to materiel mounted in air or ground vehicles.  Shock testing according to Procedure V of MIL-STD 810, Method 516 is intended to test the strength of products during a crash situation to verify that parts do not break apart, eject and become a safety hazard.  Failures of this nature could cause dangerous projectiles that could impact occupants or create significant damage to the vehicle.

This article will focus on the shock test condition when measured field data is not available and the testing will use classical shock impulses.  The terminal peak sawtooth is the default classical shock pulse to be used for this condition.  Figure 516.7-10 from MIL-STD-810 shows its shape and tolerance limits.  Table 516.7-IV contains the terminal peak sawtooth default test parameters for Procedure V – Crash Hazard Shock.  In limited cases a half sine shock impulse is specified.  Its shape and tolerance limits are shown in Figure 516.7-12.

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MIL-STD 810, Method 516, Shock Testing Procedure IV – Transit Drop

This is another part of a series of blog posts concerning the MIL-STD 810 Shock Section, Method 516.  This blog was written with reference to MIL-STD-810G w/Change 1 dated 15 April 2014.  DES has the experience and expertise to run your MIL-STD-810 test.  For more information, please check out our DES shock testing services page and our other MIL-STD-810 shock testing blog articles:

MIL-STD 810, Method 516, Shock Testing Overview

MIL-STD 810, Method 516, Shock Testing Procedure I – Functional Shock

MIL-STD 810, Method 516, Shock Testing Procedure II – Transportation Shock

MIL-STD 810, Method 516, Shock Testing Procedure III – Fragility

Method 516, Procedure IV is for testing products that could be accidently dropped such as when they are removed from a shelve or dropped when handling.  The test item is physically dropped onto a hard surface to produce the shock.  Products can be tested inside their transit case or unpackaged.  Typically, they would be tested in the configuration that is normally used for transportation, handling, or a combat situation.

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MIL-STD 810, Method 516, Shock Testing Procedure III – Fragility

This is another part of a series of blog posts concerning the MIL-STD 810 Shock Section, Method 516.  This blog was written with reference to MIL-STD-810G w/Change 1 dated 15 April 2014.  DES has the experience and expertise to run your MIL-STD-810 test.  For more information, please check out our DES shock testing services page and our other MIL-STD-810 shock testing blog articles:

Procedure III is used to determine what shock conditions will cause a product to stop operating, degrade or fail.  The shock magnitudes are systematically increased until a problem occurs.  This procedure can be also performed using environmental temperature conditioning.

This article will assume that the fragility shocks expected to be encountered by the product are not complex transients.  Therefore, the trapezoidal classical shock pulse, as defined in Figure 516.7-11 and Table 516.7-V from MIL-STD-810, Method 516 would be used for Fragility testing.

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