Accelerated Life Testing

Abstract: In the case of very reliable materials, failures are rare events, and it is often difficult to find a sample of the product that includes instances of failure merely by analyzing feedback from experience (or performing dedicated reliability tests) in order to estimate the reliability parameters. Success often varies wildly as a function of the size of this sample. Thus, the need to understand the behavior of a long-life product before it is commissioned frequently leads to so-called accelerated life testing during the development, qualification or even production phases. This chapter presents the methodology of accelerated life testing, as well as the methods and tools used to exploit accelerated life tests, and gives a selection of examples.