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on Product Reliability

A listing in reverse chronological order of articles by:
  • Kirk Grey — Accelerated Reliability series
  • Les Warrington — Achieving the Benefits of Reliability series
  • Adam Bahret — Apex Ridge series
  • Michael Pfeifer — Metals Engineering and Product Reliability series
  • Fred Schenkelberg — Musings on Reliability and Maintenance series
  • Arthur Hart — Reliability Engineering Insights series
  • Chris Jackson — Reliability in Emerging Technology series

by Michael Pfeifer, Ph.D., P.E. Leave a Comment

Residual Stresses in Metals

Residual Stresses in Metals

When designing components for which fatigue or stress corrosion cracking is a concern, it’s important to be cognizant of the residual stresses in the component. Understanding residual stress and its sources is important when making decisions about a component’s shape, features, alloy, and fabrication process.

Fatigue and stress corrosion cracking require the presence of tensile stresses on a component. When residual stresses are tensile they add to the applied tensile stress, reducing the life of a component. In fact, components sometimes fail due to stress corrosion cracking when residual stress is the only source of tensile stress.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Metals Engineering and Product Reliability, on Product Reliability

by John Kreucher Leave a Comment

Expect to Pass Validation using Accelerated Tests

Expect to Pass Validation using Accelerated Tests

Product Validation Testing is a critical and expensive endeavor.  The part build process must align with the latest prototype process (for Design Validation (DV)) or production process (for Product Validation (PV)) and be fully documented for posterity.  Depending on the product and application, the validation test plan consists of a battery of tests, some of which are lengthy – often six months or more.  Because of this, DV and PV test plans are invariably on the critical path for a customer program.  Test failures that require fixing the design and repeating DV or PV jeopardize project timing and company profits.  Further, they jeopardize the customer program along with your company’s reputation.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Product Reliability, Product Validation

by Michael Pfeifer, Ph.D., P.E. Leave a Comment

Steel Hydrogen Embrittlement

Steel Hydrogen Embrittlement

One failure mechanism that I’m frequently asked about is hydrogen embrittlement of carbon and low-alloy steel. So, in this article I’ll discuss that topic.

Hydrogen embrittlement is the result of the absorption of hydrogen by susceptible metals resulting in the loss of ductility and reduction of load bearing capability. Sustained stress on an embrittled material can result in cracking and fracture at stresses less than the metal’s yield strength.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Metals Engineering and Product Reliability, on Product Reliability

by Michael Pfeifer, Ph.D., P.E. Leave a Comment

Product Reliability: Selection and Control

Product Reliability: Selection and Control

In a recent Accendo podcast, Chris Jackson and Fred Schenkelberg discussed who is responsible for producing a reliable product, which included designers and suppliers. I’m going to weigh in.

The reliability of any product depends on the reliability of the individual components and joints within the product. That is, the ability of the components and joints to withstand exposure to stressors without degrading to the point that they fail, resulting in the product no longer performing as required. Stressors, which include corrosion conditions, fatigue, and wear, were discussed in an earlier article.

Whether individual components and joints have the reliability required boils down to two basic aspects of engineering – selection and control. The appropriate form (i.e. shape, dimensions, features) and materials for components and joints must be selected during product design. Then, systems must be put in place to control fabrication of components and joints, ensuring their form and materials are as specified. This will enable the components and joints to consistently meet performance and reliability requirements.

So, who’s responsible for this selection and control?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Metals Engineering and Product Reliability, on Product Reliability

by Michael Pfeifer, Ph.D., P.E. Leave a Comment

Designing Components for Strength and Fatigue

Designing Components for Strength and Fatigue

Metal strength and fracture toughness are important mechanical properties for components exposed to fatigue conditions and components with stress concentrations. Optimization of the two properties through alloy selection and component fabrication must be considered when designing components for these situations.

For structural components, strength and fracture toughness are two important mechanical properties. Yield strength is the stress a metal can withstand before deforming. Tensile strength is the maximum stress a metal can support before starting to fracture. Fracture toughness is the energy required to cause a material that contains a crack to fracture.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Metals Engineering and Product Reliability, on Product Reliability

by Michael Pfeifer, Ph.D., P.E. 2 Comments

Example of Using Failure Analysis to Improve Reliability

Example of Using Failure Analysis to Improve Reliability

Here’s an example of how a metallurgical failure analysis led to identification of the root cause of a failure, and to identification of the corrective actions needed to prevent the failures from recurring.

Failure analysis

As I discussed in my previous article, metallurgical failure analysis can be used to improve product reliability. The information from failure analysis of a failed component is used to determine the root cause of the failure. Once the root cause is identified, the failure analysis data and findings is used to help identify the corrective measures required to prevent the failure from recurring.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Metals Engineering and Product Reliability, on Product Reliability

by Fred Schenkelberg Leave a Comment

Quick Actions for Availability Increase

Quick Actions for Availability Increase

This is a guest post by Cristian Campos

In manufacturing environments, especially in high-volume production processes, it is important to ensure the highest Machine availability rate for critical equipment as a crucial factor in achieving the expected output goals. The more the availability value there is, the better the plant’s capacity to achieve production requirements since the time available for each piece of equipment will be maximized.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Musings on Reliability and Maintenance Topics, on Product Reliability

by Michael Pfeifer, Ph.D., P.E. Leave a Comment

Using Failure Analysis to Improve Product Reliability

Using Failure Analysis to Improve Product Reliability

Failures during product testing and use are a fact of life. Even with the most robust design we can develop an overly aggressive reliability test or find users that dish out punishing treatment, causing product failures. And for designs that are less robust, standard reliability tests and normal users will cause failures, occasionally or frequently depending on the design robustness.

When a product fails, its related to failure of individual components and/or joints between components. When a component or joint fails, it’s because their materials degraded to the point that the component or joint could no longer perform as required.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Metals Engineering and Product Reliability, on Product Reliability

by Michael Pfeifer, Ph.D., P.E. 2 Comments

Reliability Testing – Product vs. Materials

Reliability Testing – Product vs. Materials

Any product is an assembly of components comprised of different materials. The reliability of the product depends on the reliability of the materials – their ability to withstand exposure to the use conditions without degrading to the point that the component or joint stops performing as needed.

There are two approaches for evaluating the reliability of materials: 1) product testing and 2) materials testing.  Both involve exposing test samples to actual or simulated use conditions and evaluating the response of the test samples as a function of the amount of exposure to the test conditions. For example, exposure to thermal cycling between -40 and +40 °C or exposure to salt spray. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Metals Engineering and Product Reliability, on Product Reliability

by Adam Bahret Leave a Comment

Lighting Fast Reliability Engineering

Lighting Fast Reliability Engineering

A comprehensive reliability engineering program for a new product is a large investment.  Not just in dollars, but more importantly, in time.  No matter if you are a Fortune 500 company or a startup in your second year, time is always the freight train bearing down on you without mercy. I am going to give you a simple recipe I use for making a highly reliable product when that train horn is blaring and only getting closer. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Apex Ridge, Articles, Uncategorized

by Michael Pfeifer, Ph.D., P.E. Leave a Comment

Metal Corrosion

Metal Corrosion

In the previous article I discussed sources of stressors that can cause degradation of the materials in components and joints. In this article I’ll discuss the basics of metal corrosion – the electrochemical cell, seven common forms of corrosion, and examples of metals engineering and mechanical design approaches to control corrosion.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Metals Engineering and Product Reliability, on Product Reliability

by Michael Pfeifer, Ph.D., P.E. Leave a Comment

Design for Reliability – Identifying Stressors

Design for Reliability – Identifying Stressors

In the previous articles I discussed the component design process, the considerations for designing components, and the importance of leveraging materials engineering to design components that meet performance and reliability requirements at low cost.

I will start focusing on reliability, discussing the considerations for identifying component and joint reliability requirements. I will refer only to components for ease of writing and reading, but the discussion also applies to metallurgical joints, i.e. weld, braze, and solder joints.

In this article, I will discuss identification of the conditions that can cause degradation of the materials that comprise components and joints. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Metals Engineering and Product Reliability, on Product Reliability

by Michael Pfeifer, Ph.D., P.E. Leave a Comment

Component Design Process

Component Design Process

In the previous article I discussed product design in general and the importance of leveraging materials engineering to design components that meet performance and reliability requirements at low cost. Both component form and materials can and should be engineered to optimize a component’s design.

In this article I discuss a component design process that explicitly includes materials engineering considerations. This process involves consideration of all design requirements and cost. Not just designing for reliability. That’s where selecting materials gets tricky – having to consider different sets of requirements and design for ease of component fabrication and joining.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Metals Engineering and Product Reliability, on Product Reliability

by Michael Pfeifer, Ph.D., P.E. 1 Comment

Product reliability and Materials Engineering

Product reliability and Materials Engineering

This article is the first in a series about material engineering and product reliability. The intent of the article is to provide you with a basic understanding of product reliability as viewed through the eyes of a material engineer. When I first talk to engineers who have a different background or focus, I start with the basics. As we speak more, I expand into relevant areas one at a time. That is what I hope to do with this series. Introduce you to some basics, and then move on to a deeper dive into the topic.

When considering product reliability, a materials engineer is concerned with how the materials in components respond when exposed to stressors that can cause the materials to degrade. Stressors include mechanical loads, corrosive environments, chemicals, heat and cold, electricity, and radiation. You may find additional stressors based on the environment components are used in, or how they are used. It’s a problem if a component or joint in a product degrades to the point where it stops functioning as required.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Metals Engineering and Product Reliability, on Product Reliability

by Fred Schenkelberg 2 Comments

The Art of Creating a Reliability Plan

The Art of Creating a Reliability Plan

A plan is a road map toward a destination. It provide guidance toward a goal. The idea of a plan is to consider the path forward, the knowledge necessary to acquire, and the decisions along the way.

No plan is perfect other than those that successfully accommodate the successes and setbacks along the way. No plan can anticipate all the information yet to be uncovered, yet it can set a course to deliberately uncover what is necessary to move forward.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Musings on Reliability and Maintenance Topics, on Product Reliability

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