INTRODUCTION

This chapter is concerned with shock and vibration standards covering (1) terminology; (2) use and calibration of transducers and instrumentation; (3) shock and vibration generators; (4) structures and structural systems; (5) vehicles including land-based, airborne, and ocean-going; (6) machines and machinery including testing, condition monitoring, diagnostics, prognostics, and balancing; (7) human exposure to shock and vibration; and (8) testing. These topics may be covered by international, regional, or national documents that are issued as either standards or recommended practices. The dominant international consensus standards bodies concerned with shock and vibration are the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The U.S. members of ISO and IEC are the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the United States National Committee of the International Electrotechnical Commission (USNC/IEC), respectively. The USNC/IEC is a committee of ANSI. Examples of regional standards bodies are the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC). Within the U.S.A., ANSI standards are developed by standards committees following the accredited standards procedures of ANSI. These national committees also often furnish the expert members from the U.S.A. to working groups within ISO and IEC. The national standards committees are typically sponsored by professional societies that have an interest in particular areas of standardization work. Within the U.S.A., additional national consensus standards bodies exist, such as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), that develop standards by consensus of the members of their society.