Conference sessions are comprised of technical papers, panels, and case studies on the latest issues impacting the industry. Get the most up-to-date information from leading industry experts in your fields. The conference sessions are scheduled Tuesday - Thursday, April 28-30, 2020.

Program subject to change. More session presentations will be added below as they are approved.

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

8 - 9:50 a.m.
Climatics Testing
Chairs: Matt Lucas, US Army Redstone Test Center; Randy Patrick, Army Yuma Test Center

Hot or cold, wet or dry, freezing rain or blowing sand.  This session covers the theory and practice of subjecting hardware to conditions which might be encountered in the climates in which they must exist and function.

• Icing and Freezing Rain (IFR) Test Chamber — Aaron Lehman, System of Systems, Inc.
• Demonstration of Type A Uncertainties in Outdoor Weathering (Solar) Testing from Standard Reference Material Repeated Exposures — Henry Hardcastle, Atlas Material Testing Technology
• Test Operations Procedure for Outdoor Artificial Snow Rate Testing — Erick Decosta, White Sands Missile Range
• Discussion of Solar Simulation System Lighting Technology at Present and Future Trends — Doug Vermillion, EYE Lighting Applied Optix an Iwasaki Electric Company

10:10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Ensuring Lab Continuity Panel
Chair: Benjamin Shank, Thermotron Industries

Veteran lab managers discuss the pragmatic realities of keeping an environmental testing lab functioning, from stewarding expertise to scheduling and equipment maintenance.  Audience participation encouraged!

1:15 - 3:05 p.m.
Combining Environments
Chairs: Daniel Bell, U.S. Army Redstone Test Center

In the real world, products see many disparate kinds of environment at different times or even simultaneously.  Ideal test procedures would run every combination seen in the field, but often engineering judgment is required to precipitate relevant failures within time and budget constraints.  This session will cover the decisions and resources needed to schedule and combine test environments.

• Considerations When Purchasing and Installing New Vibration Equipment — Steven Essenmacher, Robert Bosch, LLC
• Proposal for Using MQTT as a Software Communication Protocol Between Different Vendors in Combined Test Environments — James Zhuge, Crystal Instruments

3:25 - 5:15 p.m.
Fixturing Case Studies
Chair: Benjamin Shank, Thermotron Industries

How a product is held on test can radically affect its dynamics and alter the ability to deliver realistic climatic environments.  Talks in this session go beyond the basics to showcase fixturing challenges using specific examples.

• Fixturing Design Using FEA: Methods and Hints — Milt Bos, Thermotron Industries

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

8 - 9:50 a.m.
Test Acceleration, Benefits, and Pitfalls
Chair: Julie Jennings, Lockheed Martin

This session will focus on tools and techniques for test acceleration.  While the math generally says that you can accelerate a test, it may not always be advisable to do such.  This session will offer examples of the benefits and pitfalls of test acceleration.

• Comparing Tests: Industry Standards vs. Real World Data — Caleb Chamberlain, Vibration Research Corporation
• Use of Composite Vibration Spectra in MIL-STD-331C Fuze Qualification Programs — Julie Jennings, Lockheed Martin

10:10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Determining Field Environmental Reliability Requirements
Chair: Julio Pulido, Nortek

Description coming soon.

3:25 - 5:15 p.m.
Reliability Demonstration Methods

Description coming soon.

Thursday, April 30, 2020

8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Vibration and Shock Testing
Chair: Budy Notohardjono, IBM

Shock and vibration testing are an integral part of the qualification and verification tests of a wide variety of products. This session will cover a process for establishing test parameters that simulate real-world data. Followed by a discussion on required testing, instrumentation and analysis method to prevent a product shipping failure Talks may discuss testing issues from a particular situation or program.    

• Vibration Induced Connector Wear: Testing and Analysis — Budy Notohardjono, IBM
• Vibration Visualization using 3D Reconstructed Models — Aakash Umesh Mange, Crystal Instruments
• Multiple channel control strategies for MIMO Vibration Control — Jeff Zhao, Crystal Instruments
• 3D-Shaker Testing Methodologies for the Automotive Industry — Kurthan Kersch, Robert Bosch GmbH

1:15 - 3:05 p.m.
A Systems Approach to Vibration Testing
Chair: Robert (Andy) Anderson, Consultant

• Basic Systems-level Issues Which Must be Considered in Vibration Testing — Andy Anderson, Consultant
• Open Forum/Q&A Panel Discussion

To submit an abstract for one of the above topics, please click here.