IEC 61587-2:2011 specifies seismic tests for cabinets and racks accommodated with IEC 60917 and 60297 series. It applies, in whole or in part, only to the mechanical structures of cabinets and racks for electronic equipment according to the above cited series of standards, while it does not apply to the electronic equipment or systems deemed to be installed within these mechanical structures. This standard does not apply either to a cabinet or a rack having an anti-seismic isolation structure, either external or internal. This standard aims to provide test conditions and criteria that constitute a reference to evaluate the ability of the mechanical structure of the cabinets or racks to acceptably withstand specified seismic intensities. For this purpose, this standard specifies test specimen conditions, such as dimensions (i.e. height, width and depth) of the cabinet and the rack, load distribution, structural test condition and the RRS (required response spectra) of single-axis or tri-axis acceleration as the seismic test wave condition. The single-axis or tri-axis acceleration is selectable. The second edition of this standard replaces the first edition published in 2000 and constitutes a technical revision. The main technical changes with regard to the previous edition are as follows:
Edition 1.0 specified the test condition with one size of the cabinet, and one load distribution. The specified acceleration condition for the test specimen was single-axis and one of the RRS (required response spectra) specified in the standard was selected. The test was aimed to obtain the reference for the structural strength of the enclosure against the specified seismic intensity. Earthquakes are actually random phenomena that are much more carefully simulated by tri-axial simultaneous operation. The demand of tri-axial excitation has emerged as a more accurate representation of an earthquake.