Environmental testing - climatic and mechanical test methods: cold, heat, humidity, vibration, shock, salt mist and gas corrosion.
Parts declared by products:
The IEC 60068 series provides standardized environmental test procedures for components and equipment; Part 1 contains general principles and guidance for selecting tests, while Parts 2-x describe individual methods (e.g. 2-6 sinusoidal vibration, 2-27 shock, 2-1/2-2 cold/dry heat, 2-30/2-78 humidity).
The methods define the procedure, apparatus and a set of possible severities; selection of severity and acceptance criteria belongs to the product specification. A standard from the 60068-2 series describes the test method; requirements are set by the product standard. A statement such as “complies with IEC 60068-2-6” is meaningful only when the severity (e.g. amplitude, frequency, duration) and the product standard requiring it are stated.
A result according to IEC 60068-2-6/-2-27 with stated severity allows the component’s resistance to be compared with the requirements of a railway product standard (e.g. vibration and shock categories under EN 61373 for rolling stock); the method name alone gives no information on suitability for installation.
