MEPX
Chapter 11 of 12All chapters
  1. 1What engineers do
  2. 2The design process
  3. 3Forces and loads
  4. 4Stress, strain and materials
  5. 5Structures
  6. 6Mechanisms
  7. 7Electrical basics
  8. 8Energy in machines
  9. 9Manufacturing and tolerances
  10. 10Safety factors and failure
  11. 11Testing and standards
  12. 12Responsibility

Chapter 11 of 12

Testing and standards

Proving it rather than believing it.

Why standards exist

Standards encode what previous failures taught, so that each engineer does not have to learn it personally. They set load cases, materials, testing methods and documentation.

  • Following a standard is a floor, not a ceiling.
  • Most standards were written after an accident, which is worth remembering when they seem excessive.

Test to failure

Testing until something breaks tells you the real margin and the failure mode. Testing only to the rated load tells you it survived the rated load, which you already believed.