ABNT Standard Tests

The Brazilian Association for Technical Standards (ABNT) publishes technical standards, known as Brazilian Regulatory Standards (NBR), covering a wide range of sectors, including manufacturing, construction, telecommunications, automotive, and energy. This organization is a founding member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), ensuring that standards align with global best practices. These standards typically include detailed testing protocols to verify the compatibility, safety, and performance of products, materials, and systems.

These standards are voluntary unless mandated by law or regulation, but they play an important role in product certification, quality assurance, and risk reduction. Testing under these standards is typically conducted in accredited laboratories and includes experimental methods such as mechanical, electrical, or environmental simulations to ensure reliability.

ABNT standard tests refer to the procedures and criteria prescribed in NBR standards for evaluating the properties, safety, and durability of materials, equipment, and processes. These tests are an integral part of ABNT's standardization efforts and provide measurable benchmarks to prevent failures, increase interoperability, and support sustainability. Unlike purely descriptive standards, test-driven standards emphasize reproducible methodologies, pass/fail thresholds, and reporting requirements.

Tests are categorized by industry and are often referenced to international equivalents (e.g., ISO or ASTM standards) for harmonization. Test methods can be destructive (e.g., explosion testing) or non-destructive (e.g., inspections). ABNT has over 20.000 active standards, many of which include testing elements.

These tests range from laboratory-based simulations to field validation. For example, automotive deceleration tests average data from multiple drives to meet regulatory models, while direct impact tests prioritize real-world impact energy absorption.

ABNT standard testing is essential for Brazilian industries to obtain certification, access export markets, and comply with regulations such as the National Metrology, Standardization, and Industrial Quality System. It reduces risks, such as equipment failures in motors or undetected defects in solar panels, and fosters innovation through recommended practices that simplify complex standards with informative guidance.

ABNT standards are generally published in the following categories:

• Electrical engineering
• Automotive / transportation
• Road safety / infrastructure
• Telecommunications / broadcasting
• Renewable energy

Below, one standard from each category is explained as an example:

• "ABNT NBR 17094-3 Rotating electrical machines - Part 3: Three-phase induction motors - Test methods" standard: Published in the electrical engineering category, this standard describes test methods for three-phase induction motors in rotating electrical machines. This standard includes evaluations of efficiency, torque, and thermal performance under load conditions. It measures power factor, vibration levels, and insulation resistance, and ensures that motors meet energy efficiency thresholds.

In electrical engineering, three-phase induction motors are the cornerstone of industrial applications, powering everything from pumps and fans to conveyor systems and compressors. Ensuring their reliability, efficiency, and performance requires rigorous testing protocols. This is where the ABNT NBR 17094-3 standard comes into play.

This standard provides a structured framework for determining essential performance characteristics and verifying compliance with design specifications. This standard aligns closely with the equivalent standard, IEC 60034-2-1, and promotes harmonization in global manufacturing practices. Compliance with this standard is vital for quality assurance, energy efficiency, and safety.

This standard details various test procedures, categorized by their purpose: performance evaluation, thermal evaluation, mechanical integrity, and electrical characteristics. These methods are designed to be repeatable, requiring precision instrumentation to minimize variability. Tests are typically performed under unloaded, loaded, and locked-rotor conditions using calibrated equipment such as dynamometers, power analyzers, and thermal sensors.

Basic performance tests include:

• Determining efficiency and losses: The cornerstone of this standard involves measuring input power, output torque, and speed to calculate efficiency. Methods include the direct method (measuring mechanical output) and indirect methods, such as the decoupled loss technique, which separates losses into stator copper, rotor copper, iron, and mechanical components.
• Torque-speed characteristics: Load tests vary the motor shaft load to plot torque curves and verify starting torque, pull-out torque, and breakaway torque. Simulations and experimental platforms often use this for computational verification.

Heat and insulation tests include:

• Temperature-Rise Test: Motors are run at rated load until thermal equilibrium is reached, with thermocouples measuring the temperature rise in the windings, core, and ambient. Limits ensure that overheating does not damage the insulation.
• Insulation resistance (Megger test): A key focus, this test measures the resistance between windings and ground or phases using a megohmmeter at specific voltages (e.g., 500 volts DC). This standard provides normalized values ​​to assess insulation health, which is critical for preventing failure in humid or dusty environments.

Mechanical and electrical testing includes:

• Vibration analysis: Accelerometers detect unbalanced forces depending on motor size and speed, ensuring smooth operation.
• Noise measurement: Acoustic testing supports compliance in noise-sensitive applications by measuring sound pressure levels.
• Locked rotor and no-load tests: These determine parameters such as starting current, rotor resistance, and magnetizing current that are required for circuit equivalent modeling.

All tests require documentation of conditions such as ambient temperature (typically no more than 40 degrees) and humidity, with tolerances for measurement accuracy (for example, plus/minus 2 percent for power).

The ABNT NBR 17094-3 standard plays a key role in energy savings and reliability. Proper testing reduces operating losses in inefficient motors by up to 5-10 percent and prevents costly downtime due to failures such as insulation punctures.

• “ABNT NBR 10312 "Light-duty road vehicles - Road load measurement and dynamometer simulation using deceleration techniques" standard: This standard is a basic standard for vehicle road load measurement. Published in the automotive/transportation category, this standard: A deceleration test method for vehicle fuel consumption and emissions is described. This standard involves measuring deceleration on straight roads to calculate rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag. It generates curves for mean, maximum/minimum values, and standard deviation, used for regulatory compliance in fuel efficiency reporting.

This standard covers procedures for measuring a vehicle's resistance to road movement. It is particularly important for testing fuel efficiency, emissions, and overall vehicle performance under controlled conditions.

The ABNT NBR 10312 standard specifies the conditions and procedures required to determine road load forces acting on light-duty vehicles such as passenger cars and light trucks. Road load refers to the total resistance a vehicle experiences while in motion. This resistance is primarily due to aerodynamic drag, tire rolling resistance, and other frictional forces. This standard focuses on deceleration testing, where a vehicle is accelerated to a high speed (typically up to 125 km/h) and then allowed to decelerate freely until it reaches a low speed (approximately 5 km/h) on a flat test track.

This standard is divided into key sections covering:

• Test site requirements: A long, straight, level runway (at least 3 km) with minimal wind and slope changes.
• Vehicle preparation: Ensuring the vehicle is in stock condition, with specified tire pressures, load and without any external modifications.
• Measurement techniques: Use of high-precision GPS or inertial measurement units for speed and position data.
• Data analysis: Calculation of deceleration coefficients (e.g. A for rolling resistance, B for aerodynamic drag) and simulation on chassis dynamometers.

The Coastdown test, defined in this standard, is a powerless deceleration method that simulates real-world driving without engine intervention. The key steps in the testing process are:

• Setup: A test track meeting standard criteria is selected: paved, flat (slope no more than 0,1 percent), and free from crosswinds. The vehicle is equipped with data loggers for speed, time, distance, and environmental factors such as temperature and wind speed.
• Acceleration phase: The vehicle is accelerated to its initial speed (e.g. 120 km/h) in neutral or using minimum throttle to prevent heat build-up in the brakes or tires.
• Deceleration phase: The engine is disengaged and free deceleration is allowed. Data is recorded with speed increments (e.g., every 5 km/h) in both directions to accommodate track asymmetries.
• Multiple runs: At least 10 valid runs per direction are performed, eliminating outliers due to wind or anomalies. This standard requires a mean and standard deviation to ensure statistical reliability.
• Coefficient calculation: Using the deceleration equation, the data is fitted to derive the road load parameters.

This operation should be carried out under controlled conditions: ambient temperature between 5 degrees and 35 degrees, wind speed below 3 m/s and no precipitation.

The ABNT NBR 10312 test method is crucial for compliance with regulatory requirements regarding vehicle fuel consumption and emissions certification, particularly under programs such as the Vehicle Emissions Control Program. The resulting road load curves are input into chassis dynamometers to simulate road conditions during laboratory testing, reducing the need for extensive track time and improving test repeatability.

In an era of focus on electric vehicles, this standard helps manufacturers optimize designs for lower coefficients of drag and better rolling resistance, directly impacting range and efficiency.

• Standard "ABNT NBR 15486 Traffic safety - Road restraint systems - Design guidelines and impact tests": This standard describes crash tests for the collapse of roadside bollards (e.g., signs). Published in the road safety/infrastructure category, this standard simulates vehicle collisions to evaluate energy absorption and deformation. It classifies bollards according to their level of protection (e.g., low-speed and high-speed collisions). This standard aligns with the EN 12767 standard for road safety.

Road safety infrastructure is a critical component of modern transportation systems in a country with an extensive highway and urban road network. The ABNT NBR 15486 standard focuses on this issue. This standard provides basic guidelines for the design and testing of barriers, guardrails, and other protective devices to reduce vehicle impacts and protect lives. This standard has been instrumental in standardizing safety measures in an environment of increasing vehicle traffic and accident rates.

The ABNT NBR 15486 standard establishes comprehensive guidelines and acceptance criteria based on crash impact tests for the design of roadholding devices such as metal guardrails, concrete barriers, and end terminals. It ensures that these systems operate effectively to divert or control errant vehicles by preventing collisions with roadside hazards such as trees, poles, or opposing traffic lanes.

The main parts of this standard are:

• Scope and definitions: Covers longitudinal barriers, crash pads, terminals and crossings, excluding pedestrian or bridge-specific restrictions.
• Design principles: Factors such as clear area widths, slope classifications (recoverable, non-recoverable, critical), and drainage integration to avoid hazards.
• Crash test criteria: Specifies test levels based on vehicle mass, speed, and impact angles, along with performance metrics for structural integrity and occupant safety.

The ABNT NBR 15486 standard emphasizes a risk-based approach to roadside design, starting with the clear zone, a recoverable area free of hazards. For slopes parallel to traffic, it classifies them as:

• Recoverable: Gentle slopes that allow vehicles to be recovered.
• Unsalvageable: Steeper slopes requiring barriers.
• Critical: High-risk areas requiring robust protection.

In countries where thousands of people lose their lives every year, the ABNT NBR 15486 standard has always supported the legal requirements for guardrails on high-risk roads.

• The "ABNT NBR 15601 Digital terrestrial television - Transmission system" standard evaluates modulation, channel coding, and signal integrity in congested spectrum environments. Published in the telecommunications/broadcasting category, this standard validates hierarchical modulation for HDTV/SDTV and is based on the ITU-R BT.2035 comparative test methodology.

This standard is essential for the implementation and operation of digital television broadcasts, ensuring compatibility, signal quality, and frequency spectrum efficiency. Developed based on the Japanese standard, it has also been adapted to local needs, such as mobility and interactivity support.

This standard details the technical parameters for channel modulation and coding. It is identical to the Japanese standard in terms of modulation and coding, but includes additional requirements to provide greater robustness in mobile signal reception.

This standard is essential for TV broadcasters, equipment manufacturers and regulatory bodies such as the National Telecommunications Agency.

• ABNT (CEE 253 project) renewable energy: This project includes electroluminescence inspection tests for photovoltaic modules. It identifies invisible cell defects that are overlooked in flash tests. It harmonizes 18 criteria for fault detection; revision is underway by 2025. ABNT/CEE-253 is the Special Studies Committee on Photovoltaic Solar Energy, a technical body of ABNT focused on the development and review of technical standards related to photovoltaic (PV) solar energy. This committee was established to meet the growing demand for quality, safety, and efficiency standards in the photovoltaic sector and brings together experts from industry, research institutions, manufacturers, and regulatory bodies. Its focus is to promote reliability and sustainability in solar energy production projects by adapting international standards.

CEE-253 is responsible for a number of standards (ABNT), many of which are translations and adaptations of IEC standards. Examples of standards developed or amended by the committee include:

• ABNT NBR IEC 61215-1 Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules - Design qualification and type approval - Part 1: Test requirements. It defines 21 test methods to verify the quality and durability of PV modules, including mechanical, thermal and electrical tests. It aims to establish minimum requirements for certification.
• “ABNT NBR 10899 Photovoltaic solar energy – Terminology.” Updates definitions and technical terms to standardize language within the industry, simplifying projects and contracts.
• Standard project (Electroluminescence). Electroluminescence for fault detection in PV modules. The new project focuses on electroluminescence inspection techniques to detect invisible defects and increase the reliability of solar installations.

Our organization, which has been serving businesses for many years and meticulously following global developments in science and technology, conducts testing, measurement, and analysis in a wide range of areas with a skilled team and extensive infrastructure for businesses in every sector. In this context, we also provide testing services in accordance with ABNT standards.