IEC TR 62500:2024

IEC TR 62500 ®
Edition 1.0 2024-05
TECHNICAL
REPORT
colour
inside
Process management for avionics – Highly severe stress tests for operating
margins identification and robustness improvement of avionics equipment –
Application guidelines
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IEC TR 62500 ®
Edition 1.0 2024-05
TECHNICAL
REPORT
colour
inside
Process management for avionics – Highly severe stress tests for operating

margins identification and robustness improvement of avionics equipment –

Application guidelines
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 03.100.50; 31.020; 49.060 ISBN 978-2-8322-8566-4

– 2 – IEC TR 62500:2024 © IEC 2024
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
INTRODUCTION . 6
1 Scope . 7
2 Normative references . 7
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms . 8
3.1 Terms and definitions . 8
3.2 Abbreviated terms . 9
4 Highly severe stress tests for margins research and robustness improvement –
Approach . 10
4.1 General . 10
4.2 Objectives . 10
4.3 Considerations . 11
4.4 General principles . 11
4.5 Example of the limitations of highly severe stress tests . 13
5 Industrial domains covered by highly severe stress tests . 14
6 Highly severe stress tests in the equipment lifecycle and associated stages . 14
6.1 General . 14
6.2 Design and development . 14
6.3 Qualification . 15
6.4 Production . 15
6.5 Operation and maintenance . 15
7 Planning and management of highly severe stress tests . 15
7.1 General . 15
7.2 Planning of highly severe stress tests and budget consideration . 16
7.3 Management of highly severe stress tests . 16
8 Typical methodology for implementing highly severe stress tests . 16
8.1 Basis for an effective approach . 16
8.2 Identification of equipment potential built-in deficiencies/weak points . 17
8.2.1 General . 17
8.2.2 Sources of information and data for identification of potential built-in
deficiencies or weak points . 17
8.2.3 Specific consideration of parameters related to intrinsic limits . 18
8.3 Selection of applicable stresses . 18
8.3.1 General . 18
8.3.2 Stress types . 19
8.4 Test plan and preparation of the tests implementation . 19
8.4.1 General . 19
8.4.2 Test plan contents . 19
8.4.3 Specific considerations . 22
8.5 Tests implementation . 23
8.5.1 General . 23
8.5.2 Checks before tests . 23
8.5.3 Stresses application . 23
8.5.4 Root cause analysis, corrective actions . 24
8.5.5 Test report . 25
9 Taking advantage and using experience gained with highly severe tests . 26

9.1 General . 26
9.2 Creating or enhancing a database . 26
9.3 Enhancing procedures and quality system . 27
9.4 Contribution to environmental stress screening (ESS) definition . 27
9.4.1 Reminder of ESS purpose . 27
9.4.2 Contribution of highly severe stress tests . 27
9.5 Checking the effectiveness of the highly severe stress tests with regard to
the experience and the equipment maturity by correlation with feedbacks . 27
9.6 Moving OEM’s culture forward . 28
10 Responsibilities and relationships . 28
10.1 Customer/OEM relationship . 28
10.1.1 Responsibilities . 28
10.1.2 Contractual requirements . 29
10.2 OEM and external test laboratories relationship . 29
11 Costs and savings . 30
11.1 General . 30
11.2 "Non-maturity" costs . 30
11.2.1 Cost due to delayed time to market (TTM) or poor entry into service (EIS) . 30
11.2.2 Cost of an in-service built-in deficiencies processing . 32
11.2.3 Cost of a in-service recovery operation and products retrofit. 32
11.2.4 Impact on brand image . 32
11.3 Expenses generated by the highly severe stress tests . 33
11.3.1 Engineering for highly severe stress tests preparation . 33
11.3.2 Highly severe stress tests implementation . 33
11.3.3 Weakened, damaged or destroyed equipment . 33
Annex A (informative) Highly severe tests approach . 34
A.1 Approach for highly severe stress tests . 34
A.2 Typical flowchart related to implementation of highly severe stress tests . 34
Annex B (informative) Examples of potential effectiveness of stresses with regard to

the nature of the equipment weak points . 36
Bibliography . 37

Figure 1 – Typical exploration of margins using a highly severe stress tests approach . 13
Figure 2 – Typical marketing stages of a product with time . 31
Figure A.1 – Typical flowchart related to planning of the highly severe tests . 34
Figure A.2 – Typical flowchart related to highly severe stress tests implementation . 35

Table B.1 – Examples of potential effectiveness of stresses with regard to the nature of
the equipment weak points. 36

– 4 – IEC TR 62500:2024 © IEC 2024
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
PROCESS MANAGEMENT FOR AVIONICS –
HIGHLY SEVERE STRESS TESTS FOR OPERATING MARGINS
IDENTIFICATION AND ROBUSTNESS IMPROVEMENT OF AVIONICS
EQUIPMENT – APPLICATION GUIDELINES

FOREWORD
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