Practical Accelerated Life Testing
Techniques for Electronic and Mechanical Components
Current new product development procedures require a Reliability
Test (from a supplier or internally developed) as mandatory to
evaluate new products prior to release. There are no simple
engineering equations that describe the failure of components. The
proper determination of the reliability plan is crucial because an
erroneous test plan can be costly and misleading. The main failure
modes may be first established and the life test developed based
upon the failure modes. The purpose of an accelerated life test is
to demonstrate a minimum life in a simulated customer environment.
Accelerated methods are more effective when component signature
profiles are defined and used in creating the test plan. The ALT and
Stress Step test results in the real world depend upon the applied
stresses and should be well behaved when the test conditions are not
excessive or unusual. This presentation discusses some practical
accelerated life testing techniques for electronic and mechanical
components (vibration effects and fatigue effects) in product
development.
Key Words: ALT, Electronics, Vibration, Warranty Reduction