Automotive Testing Services and Laboratories

Early development testing is often used to compare materials, establish operating limits or expose weaknesses before the design is fixed. Qualification testing evaluates whether a component or system meets defined technical requirements. Production validation confirms that the manufactured product continues to represent the validated design.

Depending on the product’s stage of development and validation requirements, Intertek can support:

• Material characterization and selection
• Prototype and development testing
• Component qualification
• Design verification and validation
• System and subsystem testing
• OEM specification testing
• Regulatory and compliance testing
• Production validation
• Benchmarking
• Failure analysis and root-cause investigation

Test planning should begin with the requirement(s) and/or standard(s) being verified. This includes the applicable procedure, sample configuration, operating state, boundary conditions, acceptance criteria and required data. Without those elements, even a correctly executed test may not answer the intended engineering question.

Component testing isolates the variables that affect a part or assembly. Depending on the application, that may include load, temperature, mounting stiffness, electrical state, fluid exposure, actuation rate or vibration input.

The reason you will want to use an experienced Nationally Recognized Test Laboratory (NRTL) such as Intertek is because the test setup matters as much as the chamber or shaker profile. Fixture resonances, incorrect constraints, unsuitable sensor locations or an unrealistic operating mode can change the response of the sample and undermine the result.

The specific test sequence depends on the component’s function, mounting location, operating environment and applicable requirements, but may include:

• Dimensional and material verification
• Functional measurements before, during and after exposure
• Thermal and humidity conditioning
• Vibration and mechanical shock
• Mechanical cycling and fatigue
• Corrosion and chemical exposure
• Electrical loading and transient testing
• EMC and electrostatic discharge
• Leak, pressure or flow testing
• Post-test inspection and failure analysis

Testing may be performed as separate exposures or as a sequence intended to represent the stresses encountered during manufacturing, transportation, installation and vehicle service.

Learn more about automotive materials, systems and component testing

Durability testing determines how a product responds to repeated use or prolonged exposure. Reliability testing examines whether it continues to perform within defined limits over time.

Accelerated testing can reduce the time required to observe degradation, but acceleration must be technically justified. Increasing the load, temperature, frequency or duty cycle too far may produce a failure mechanism that would not occur in the vehicle.

Depending on the product, application and expected service conditions, a durability test program may consider:

• Expected service life
• Duty cycle and usage distribution
• Load levels and load sequence
• Environmental conditions
• Material behavior
• Known field failures
• Failure criteria
• Inspection intervals
• Required confidence level

When field data are available, they may be used to develop representative laboratory profiles or durability schedules. When field data are limited, the test plan should clearly document its assumptions and limitations.

The objective is not simply to accumulate cycles. The program should determine what degraded, why it degraded and whether the result represents a credible service condition.

Explore automotive durability testing

During operation, vehicle components may experience variations of heat, cold, humidity, vibration and electrical operation at the same time. Sequential testing can show the cumulative effect of those exposures. Simultaneous testing may reveal interactions that do not occur when each stress is applied separately.

Depending on the component, mounting location and expected service environment, the test setup may need to control:

• Fixture and chamber interfaces
• Sample orientation
• Vibration control strategy
• Temperature transition rates
• Electrical or hydraulic operation
• Instrumentation
• Data acquisition rates
• Safety limits
• Test interruption criteria

The most severe test is not automatically the most useful test. The applied conditions must remain relevant to the component, mounting location and expected use.

Review automotive environmental testing capabilities

Review vibration and mechanical shock testing capabilities

Modern vehicle functions depend on sensors, electronic control units, wiring, printed circuit board assemblies, communication networks and power electronics. These systems must operate during voltage variations, switching events, electrical transients, electromagnetic exposure and changing environmental conditions.

Electrical and electronic validation may include functional monitoring during temperature, vibration or humidity exposure. This can reveal intermittent faults that would be missed by checking the device only before and after the test.

EMC testing may address emissions, immunity, electrostatic discharge and conducted electrical events. The applicable requirements depend on the component, vehicle architecture, market and OEM program.

Explore automotive electrical components and electronics testing

Explore automotive electrical and EMC testing

Automotive test requirements may come from government regulations, consensus standards, vehicle manufacturers, industry organizations or customer-specific validation plans.

Intertek supports testing to applicable SAE, ASTM, ISO, IEC, UNECE, USCAR and OEM procedures. The exact capability and accreditation status depend on the method and laboratory performing the work.

Search Intertek’s automotive standards capabilities

Before testing begins, the laboratory and customer should confirm:

• The correct revision of the procedure
• Test severity and duration
• Sample quantity
• Sample orientation
• Fixture requirements
• Operating mode
• Monitoring points
• Preconditioning
• Acceptance criteria
• Reporting requirements

OEM methods often contain product-specific details that are not evident from the test title alone. A thermal cycle, vibration profile or corrosion exposure may require different setups depending on the component type and mounting location.

A Design Verification Plan and Report connects each design requirement with a verification method, sample quantity, acceptance criterion and result.

A useful DVP&R should show more than whether a test was completed. It should establish:

• What requirement was evaluated
• Which procedure and revision were used
• How the sample represented the production design
• What conditions were applied
• What data were recorded
• Whether the acceptance criteria were met
• How deviations and failures were handled

Intertek can support procedure review, test planning, fixture development, laboratory execution, data collection and reporting.

Learn more about DVP&R testing services

A failed test is not always the result of a failed design. It may be related to the sample, manufacturing process, fixture, instrumentation, test procedure or an interaction between multiple conditions.

A failure investigation begins by examining all the available evidence. This may include time-history data, operating parameters, photographs, electrical measurements, chamber conditions and observations made at the point of failure.

Further evaluations may include:

• Visual and dimensional inspection
• Optical or electron microscopy
• Metallography
• Chemical and material analysis
• Fracture-surface examination
• Electrical diagnostics
• Comparison with untested samples
• Reproduction testing

The investigation should separate observed damage from the initiating failure mechanism. That distinction is important when determining whether corrective action belongs in the product design, material selection, manufacturing process or test setup.

Automotive testing now spans mechanical systems, electrified propulsion, high-voltage components, software-controlled functions and connected vehicle technologies.

Intertek provides specialized testing for:

• Internal-combustion, hybrid and electric vehicle systems
• Batteries and high-voltage components
• Motors, inverters and electric drivetrains
• Electronic control units and vehicle networks
• Sensors, cameras and radar
• Advanced driver-assistance systems
• Connected and autonomous vehicle technologies
• Charging systems and vehicle interfaces
• Propulsion and thermal-management systems
• Vehicle interiors, exteriors and lighting

Explore electric and hybrid vehicle testing

Explore autonomous and connected vehicle testing

Selecting an automotive test lab requires more than locating a chamber or shaker with the correct capacity. The laboratory must understand the procedure, control the relevant variables, document deviations and provide data in a form the engineering team can use.

Intertek’s automotive laboratory network provides access to environmental simulation, vibration, EMC, electronics, materials analysis, chemical testing, vehicle performance and other specialized capabilities.

ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation applies to defined methods within a laboratory’s accredited scope. Customers requiring accredited testing should identify that requirement before the program is quoted and scheduled.

Find an Intertek automotive testing laboratory