Overview
IEC TR 62131-6:2017 is a Technical Report from the IEC that reviews measured dynamic data for the transportation of electrotechnical equipment by propeller aircraft. Its primary intent is to compile an environmental description (vibration and shock) from available flight and landing measurements and to compare that environment with the classifications and severities given in IEC 60721 (all parts). This report is Part 6 of the IEC 62131 series on environmental vibration and shock.
Key topics and technical content
- Scope and data quality: assessment of measurement sources, record durations and error estimates for flight data.
- Measured platforms: surveys and flight tests for multiple propeller aircraft including Britten‑Norman Islander, BAe Jetstream, BAe HS 748, Lockheed C‑130 (including C130J variant), Transall C160 and Airbus A400M.
- Instrumentation and locations: descriptions/diagrams of sensor locations (cabin, fuselage, propeller plane, floor) used to capture vibration and shock.
- Vibration analysis: cruise, climb, take‑off and landing vibration spectra; blade‑passing frequency effects; background random vibration and overall rms severity comparisons.
- Landing shocks: measured shock pulses in vertical, lateral and longitudinal axes; shock characterization and comparisons.
- Data comparisons: intra‑source (within one aircraft dataset) and inter‑source (between different aircraft) comparisons to identify typical severities and spectral features.
- Derived test severities and recommendations: guidance for selecting vibration and shock test levels representative of propeller aircraft transport.
- Comparisons with IEC 60721 & test procedures: mapping measured environments to IEC 60721 classifications and referencing practical test procedures (e.g., IEC 60068‑2‑27/29) for shock testing.
Practical applications and users
This Technical Report is useful for:
- Design and test engineers developing or qualifying electrotechnical and avionics equipment for transport by propeller aircraft.
- Test laboratories selecting representative vibration/shock test profiles and durations.
- Packaging and logistics teams assessing mechanical protection requirements during air transport.
- Certification bodies and standards developers seeking empirical data to validate and refine environmental classifications.
Benefits include improved selection of test severities, alignment of qualification procedures with real transport environments, and informed decisions on mounting, damping and packaging to mitigate damage from propeller‑aircraft vibrations and landing shocks.
Related standards
- IEC 62131 series (Environmental conditions – Vibration and shock)
- IEC 60721 (Classification of environmental conditions)
- IEC 60068‑2‑27 and IEC 60068‑2‑29 (common shock test procedures referenced for comparison)
Keywords: IEC TR 62131-6:2017, vibration and shock, electrotechnical equipment, propeller aircraft, transportation environment, IEC 60721, landing shocks, vibration spectra, test severities.