This is just an Excerpt from a larger document, click here to
view the entire document.Caveats An accelerated test model is
derived by testing the item of interest at a normal stress level
and also at one or more accelerated stress levels. Extreme care
must be taken when using accelerated environments to recognize
and properly identify those failures which will occur in normal
field use and conversely those that are not typical of normal
use. Since an accelerated environment typically means applying a
stress level well above the anticipated field stress,
accelerated stress can induce false failure mechanisms that are
not possible in actual field use. For example, raising the
temperature of the test item to a point where the material
properties change or where a dormant activation threshold is
exceeded could identify failures which cannot occur during
normal field use. In this situation, fixing the failure may only
add to the product cost without an associated increase in
reliability. Understanding the true fa