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I N N O V AT I O N S • O C T O B E R - D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4
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F U T U R E T H I N K I N G
Think about the last time you flew to one of your shale play
operations, processing plants or gas distribution centers. Did you stop
to consider the hundreds of thousands of moving and interconnected
parts that allow the engines to function, landing gear to extend, or
wings to flex without tearing off?
Unless you have a decent fear of flying, probably not. You simply
expected these things to function as they should — to take off, fly and
land without event. And that’s a practical expectation, as evidenced by
the extreme rarity of commercial flight malfunctions. From flying across
the Atlantic to placing a communications satellite in orbit, it’s clear
the aerospace industry has developed processes to almost completely
eliminate operational risk.
The ability to continuously deliver such unwavering reliability under
extreme circumstances is due in part to Highly Accelerated Life Testing
(HALT). By subjecting products to stresses far beyond the norm —
temperature cycling, voltage margining and vibration — HALT enables
manufacturers to identify product weaknesses and address them long
before those products are put to work in real-world settings.
“HALT” process identifies
product weaknesses before
they hit the market.
BY JEFF FOOTE
DIRECTOR OF PIPELINE
INTEGRITY TECHNOLOGY,
T.D. WILLIAMSON
Pushing Limits,
Celebrating Failures