Back in school, we were told of a term called jargon. A Jargon is a specialized set of terms, phrases, or language that are used by a particular group, profession, or industry that are difficult most of the time, for people outside of the group to understand.
MIL-STD-810G and MIL-STD-810H are some of the common jargons you will come across very often, especially for folks looking for details about a new device. These terms are often used to refer to how tough or rugged a device is. But what are they, and why are they important in the rugged device industry?
In this article, we’ll discuss in detail what MIL-STD-810G and MIL-STD-810H certifications mean, why they’re important, and what the testing process looks like to give you a clearer idea of what to look for when choosing a rugged device.
What Are MIL-STD-810G and MIL-STD-810H Certifications?
MIL-STD-810G and MIL-STD-810H are standards created by the U.S. Department of Defense. These standards outline a series of tests to see if a device can handle harsh conditions, like extreme temperatures, drops, or water exposure.
“MIL” stands for military, “STD” stands for standard, and the numbers “810G” and “810H” are just the specific versions of the standard. MIL-STD-810G was introduced in 2008, and MIL-STD-810H followed in 2019 with some updates.
Why These Certifications Matter
If you need a device that can reliably perform in tough conditions, these certifications are crucial. This is because they show that the device has been put through tests to survive things like drops, water, dust, and temperature changes. This is particularly important for people who work in construction, the military, or enjoy outdoor activities where regular devices just wouldn’t cut it.
How the Testing Works
The MIL-STD-810G and MIL-STD-810H certifications cover around 29 different tests. Each test simulates a specific environmental challenge, and they includes:
- Low Pressure (Method 500.5 / 500.6): This test evaluates a device’s performance under low-pressure conditions, simulating high altitudes.
- High Temperature (Method 501.5 / 501.7): This method subjects the devices to high temperatures to know if they can operate in hot climates.
- Low Temperature (Method 502.5 / 502.7): Like the one above, but here it is how a devices perform in extremely cold conditions.
- Temperature Shock (Method 503.5 / 503.7): This tries to assesses a device’s ability to withstand rapid temperature changes.
- Contamination by Fluids (Method 504.1 / 504.3): Here, the devices is expose to various fluids to evaluate resistance to, especially chemical contamination.
- Solar Radiation (Method 505.5 / 505.7): This test simulates exposure to sunlight, testing a device’s ability to withstand UV radiation without degradation.
- Rain (Method 506.5 / 506.6): This is to determines whether a device can resist rain and water exposure.
- Humidity (Method 507.5 / 507.6): The tests is to determine a device’s durability in high-humidity conditions.
- Fungus(Method 508.6 / 508.8): This test evaluates a device’s susceptibility to fungal growth.
- Salt Fog (Method 509.5 / 509.7): Here the device is exposes to salty, foggy conditions to test its corrosion resistance.
- Sand and Dust (Method 510.5 / 510.7): This test if a device can function properly in dusty or sandy conditions.
- Explosive Atmosphere (Method 511.5 / 511.7): This is an important test that measure if a device can operate safely in environments with explosive gases. (See this article for more)
- Immersion (Method 512.5 / 512.6): This tests the device’s ability to survive submersion in water, and for how long.
- Acceleration (Method 513.6 / 513.7): This tries to simulates the highest acceleration forces a device might encounter.
- Vibration (Method 514.6 / 514.8): The test subjects the device to vibrations of varying frequencies and degrees, to determine if it can withstand transportation or operation in moving vehicles.
- Acoustic Noise (Method 515.6 / 515.8): Here, the device is exposed to a high levels of noise to test their structural integrity and performance in loud environments.
- Shock (Method 516.6 / 516.8): This test focuses on a device’s durability when subjected to sudden physical shocks, like drops or impacts.
- Pyroshock (Method 517.1 / 517.3): Here, the ability of the device to endure intense, high-frequency shocks is tested, for example a shock caused by explosive events.
- Acidic Atmosphere (Method 518.1 / 518.3: Here, the device is exposed to acidic environments to test it resistance to corrosive gases.
- Gunfire Vibration (Method 519.6 / 519.8): This test simulates vibrations caused by gunfire to make sure that the device’s internal and external components remain functional in combat scenarios.
- Temperature, Humidity, Vibration, and Altitude Combined (Method 520.3 / 520.4): Here, the device is subjected to temperature test, humidity test, vibration test and altitude tests simultaneously, to determine how it performs under ultra harsh environment and conditions.
- Icing/Freezing Rain (Method 521.3 / 521.4): How about during icing rain falls? Here, the device is tested to determine how it function after being exposed to freezing rain.
- Ballistic Shock (Method 522.1 / 522.2): This extreme test evaluates a device’s ability to withstand shocks from a nearby explosions or ballistic impacts.
- Vibro-Acoustic / Temperature (Method 523.2 / 523.3): This test simultaneously exposes a devices to vibration, acoustic noise, and temperature variations, just like the combined temperature, humidity, vibration and altitude tests above.
- Freeze/Thaw (Method 524.1 / 524.2): Just as the name implies, the test repeatedly freezes and thaws the device to test its resilience to temperature fluctuations especially in icy cold scenarios.
- Time Waveform Replication (Method 525.1 / 525.2): This is a real-world test that simulates real-world vibrations over a given period of time.
- Rail Impact (Method 526.1 / 526.2): Is the device in question transportable via rail? That is what this test strive to achieve; to know the durability of devices transported by rail.
- Multi-Exciter (Method 527.1 / 527.2): In this test, multiple vibration sources are used to simulate complex, real-world vibration environments.
- Mechanical Vibrations of Shipboard Equipment (Method 528.0 / 528.1): The test method was introduced in 2019 with the MIL-STD-810H update. It specifically tests the resistance of devices to the mechanical vibrations found on ships.
The descriptions above provide an overview of the rigorous environmental tests that devices undergo to earn MIL-STD-810G and MIL-STD-810H certifications.
Differences Between MIL-STD-810G and MIL-STD-810H
While both MIL-STD-810G and MIL-STD-810H cover similar environmental tests, MIL-STD-810H is an updated version of the MIL-STD-810G. It includes a new test method, (Method 528.0 / 528.1), which focuses on mechanical vibrations of shipboard equipment along with updates to several test methods, procedures, and parameters to better simulate real-world conditions of a rugged device is it targeted use case.
Conclusion and Final Note
MIL-STD-810G and MIL-STD-810H certifications are a reliable way to know if a rugged device is truly rugged, and how well it can handle tough environments. And as stated above, these certifications simply mean the device has been tested to survive certain conditions like extreme temperatures, drops, water exposure among others. However, always make sure to check which tests were actually performed on the device to make sure it meets your needs.
So check which specific tests the device has actually passed. This is because not all devices with a MIL-STD-810G or MIL-STD-810H label have gone through the full set of tests mentioned above. Manufacturers put their rugged devices through these standards to prove their durability, but some might only go through a few tests, while others go through all 29.
