MIL-STD-810 Test Method 513.6 –
Acceleration
Quick look:
- Tests how an asset sustains acceleration
- Looks for permanent damage, deflection and structural issues
- Includes three procedures: Operational, structural and crash loading
About MIL-STD-810 Method 513
Method 513, acceleration, is about sustaining loads to your box or your structure, whatever the case may be. In acceleration, you’re looking for things like permanent damage and deflection. There are some tests that require acceleration while the box is operating while some are just structural in nature.
The best way to think of acceleration is when you’re at space training and the astronauts are going around and around in the G4 simulator. That’s pretty much what acceleration is like, although this is one of the cooler specs because they actually talk about rocket sleds on rails. At Crystal Group, acceleration is about sustained loading and if a unit can structurally withstand the G loads. There are three procedures: operational, structural and crash loading.
For operational testing, the goal is to determine if it works during the test. The structural procedure assesses if anything breaks while crash safety tests to see if the unit will be safely contained in its mounting structure during a crash.
It generally is three mutually exclusive axis or three mutually perpendicular axis. We test anywhere from a half G to 12 Gs, or from three Gs to 40 Gs, depending on which procedure is being tested.
These tests assess:
- Were things reflecting?
- Are circuit boards changing shape or shorting out?
- Is there any fatigue damage or structural damage of the system, or any problems with the box?
These tests help determine structural integrity based on if a unit can withstand the loads and how sound the box is in the application.