Cracks were first discovered in December last year, on a Qantas-owned Airbus A380 that was being repaired after an engine explosion in Singapore. The Rolls Royce engine failure was caused by a fatigue failure in a fuel line pipe.
Military vehicles used worldwide operate in harsh electro-magnetic environments caused by both coalition and enemy forces, so rigorous EMC testing is required at all times.
London 2012 is not just about the Olympics; it’s also the location of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IECEE) CB scheme’s annual meeting, which will include an industry workshop organised by the UK National committee.
Whether you are browsing the internet on your smart phone or cleaning your teeth with an electric toothbrush, batteries are an essential part of many of today’s high-technology products. Whether it’s high performance lithium ion (Li-ion) or more conventional nickel-metal hydride cell (NiMH), batteries present potential safety issues and therefore the use of batteries is addressed by a number of different standards.
The European Commission has released its draft of the new EMC Directive, instigated by the publication of the New Legislative Framework (NLF) in 2008. The NLF seeks to provide a horizontal modification function of all CE marking directives to align the common wording and hence make it simpler for manufacturers to draw up common text modules where their products are covered by more than one directive.
I received some questions after my last blog post about the changes to RTCA/DO160G. Readers wanted to know more about the different sorts of chambers that we use to perform EMC testing.
The Test and certification industry is always evolving. Changes in existing legislation, new national requirements and standards following emerging technologies ensure there is never a dull moment.
Recently, I have been working my way through RTCA/DO160G, which is the latest revision of standard procedures and environmental test criteria for testing airborne equipment.