This cross-disciplinary guide brings sound business practice and engineering innovation together, to help improve testing techniques in new product development. The author offers guidance on selecting the best tools for a particular need, explains the appropriateness of different techniques and how to deploy them.

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.

• Preface Whats on the CD
• ROM? Chapter
• The Time Value of Information Historical Business Models and the Information Needed Working Group Structure (Entrepreneur) Modern Business Models and the Information Needed Chapter
• Precise But Useless Data Accurate But Not Beneficial Precise Test Chapter
• What Not To Know Scenario One
• A key physical property is wrong Scenario Two
• A primary failure mode of a product Scenario Three
• The Mean Time to Failure (MTTF) Chapter
• Accelerated Testing Catelog TOOL NAME
• Design Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (DFMEA) TOOL NAME
• Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) TOOL NAME
• Fully Censored Testing TOOL NAME
• Step Stress Testing TOOL NAME
• Accelerated Reliability TOOL NAME
• Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) TOOL NAME
• Failure Mode Verification Test (FMVT) TOOL NAME
• Computer Modeling Chapter
• Design Failure Mode Effects Analysis (DFMEA) Basic DFMEA Hypothesis and the DFMEA Chapter
• Fully Censored Testing Representative Homogeneous When to Use It? Chapter
• Step Stress Testing Life Test Stresses and Levels Stepping Magnitude Business Style Chapter
• Trading Stress for Time Basic Principles Description of Accelerated Reliability Method Single Variable Model Two
• Variable Model Three
• Variable Model Chapter
• Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) A Typical HALT Hot Temperature Steps Cold Temperature Steps Ramp Rates Vibration Combined Run Business Structures Chapter
• Failure Mode Verification Testing (FMVT) Development FMVT More About Stress More About Failures More About Setup and Execution More on Data Analysis Comparison FMVT FMVT Life Prediction Equivalent Wear and Cycle Counting FMVT Warranty More on Vibration Reliability and Design Maturity Business Considerations Chapter
• Computer and Math Modeling Math Models Finite Element Analysis (FEA) Boundary Conditions and Assumptions Business Considerations Chapter
• Hybrid Testing Fully Coupled and Partially Coupled Hybrid Tests The Field as a Test Method Chapter
• Validation Synthesis Model The Primary Question Timing Efficiency Chapter
• Downspout Generator Example Downspout Generator (DGS) Basic Numbers Research (Day
• ) Feasibility (Day
• ) Development/Design (Day
• ) Design Validation (Day
• ) Production Validation (Day
• ) Production (Day
• ) About the Author Index

With Accelerated Testing and Validation, Porter sets out to elicit clearer, more useful answers...Porter discusses the test and analysis necessary to ensure the product is easy to use and will pay for itself before it breaks down. - Test & Measurement World, Sept. 2004 This book is well written and follow a logical progression...Project engineering and quality professionals responsible for validation testing will find the book a necessary reference. Any person interested in creating a meaningful, timely and cost effective validation program will find this book a useful tool. - Offshore Engineer, Dec. 2004