EMC Compliance of Military & Avionics Equipment Training Course

This course is available as an in-house training course, please contact us for details.

Achieving electromagnic compatibility compliance performance of equipment and systems is essential to ensure the safety, reliability and availability of the equipment in its intended installation environment. For this reason, military and avionics procurement contracts specify the level of EMC performance required. This is usually in reference to test standards such as Defence Standard 59-411, MIL-STD 461 and RTCA DO 160/ED 14.

This course explains the fundamentals of EMC, the content of EMC standards and how testing is performed and reported. It enables manufacturers and suppliers to prepare all necessary information and their equipment ready for test.

When held at TÜV SÜD Product Service's testing laboratory in Fareham, the course includes a practical demonstration of EMC testing in a shielded enclosure facility and a tour of typical EMC test facilities. Delegates receive a set of printed course notes and a course completion certificate.

COURSE CONTENT:

• Overview of EMC:
  Coupling mechanisms, sources of interference, effects of electromagnetic interference, nature of interference, EMC phenomena.
• Overview of Standards:
  RTCA DO 160, MIL STD 461, DEF STAN 59-411 etc.
• EMC General Test Requirements
• Contents of a 'Test Plan':
  Introduction, objectives, related documents, definitions & abbreviations, equipment performance requirements, technical description of EUT, tests formally required, general test requirements, test configuration, modes & conditions of operation during tests, EMC test criteria, test matrix, test equipment.
• Interpretation of Emission & Susceptibility Test Results:
  Test report content. Test results and their meaning.
• Test Failures
  Investigation method, typical EMC fixes
• Risk Assessment, COTS/MOTS:
  Risk assessment process described in Def Stan 59-411 for commercial off the shelf and military off the shelf equipment for EMC.
  The four stages:
  1 - evaluating the environment
  2 - evaluating the COTS/MOTS EMC performance
  3 - functional criticality
  4 - risk mitigation through design and retest.
• EMC Test & Trials Requirements:
  Screened room test facilities, test set-up, test limits, conducted and radiated emission tests, conducted susceptibility and radiated susceptibility tests. Brief description of the test parameters, purpose and test method. Platform trials for aircraft. EMI incident investigation. EMC in-situ testing.

COURSE OBJECTIVE:

Familiarisation with EMC principles, EMC standards RTCA DO160, MIL-STD-461 and Def Stan 59-411, EMC testing, test plan documentation and risk assessment process.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

The course is intended for compliance engineers and electrical/electronic engineers involved in the design, development, testing and production of electrical and electronic equipment.

Benefits of attending:

• Achieve successful equipment design through an understanding of the basic mechanisms of EMC.
• Avoid wasted time in the test facility by preparation in advance.
• Improve likelihood of a first time compliant test result and avoid need for equipment modification and retest costs.
• Knowledge to prepare test plans.
• Understand EMC test reports and actions to be taken where tests fail.
• Ability to perform a compliance risk assessment for COTS/MOTS (commercial/military off the shelf) equipment.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

PETER DOREY

Principal Consultant, TÜV SÜD

This course is presented by Pete Dorey BSc (Hons) CEng MIET of TÜV SÜD. Pete is a Principal Consultant and has worked in EMC since 1980 and is a Notified Body assessor under the EMC Directive 2004/108/EC.

TESTIMONIALS

 "I now have a good understanding of basic EMC issues and the consequences on submarine design."

"I wanted to gain a basic understanding of EMC so that I can be familiar with any EMC issues encountered in the future."

"Objectives were met in opening up new subject areas I have not yet touched."

"Objectives met. Good detail presented on theory and popular/possible actions to take in design to prevent problems."

"I learned a lot more than I expected."