Webinar: Reliability of Materials | Philips Engineering Solutions

Summary

In this insightful webinar, Sonja Arts explores the importance of material reliability in product design. She explains how understanding material behavior during use and performing predictive testing can enhance product longevity. Focusing on the Physics of Failure, Sonja highlights the significance of proactive design strategies, using the V-model to ensure reliability across all stages of product development. Real-life examples, such as the polycarbonate lens case study, demonstrate how material degradation and environmental factors affect product performance. By combining thorough testing, risk management, and material knowledge, engineers can create more durable and reliable products.

Takeaways

• 😀 Understanding the reliability of materials is key to predicting and designing for product lifespan.
• 😀 The material's behavior during use is crucial in avoiding product failures and improving reliability.
• 😀 Correct requirement management and risk management can prevent most product-related problems.
• 😀 The Liberty ship example from WWII highlights how material choices (like cheaper metals) can lead to catastrophic failures under certain conditions.
• 😀 Quality refers to the ability of a product to meet specifications, while reliability considers the long-term performance over time.
• 😀 A Bell Curve model can help describe the relationship between the applied load on a product and its strength, with the safety margin determining reliability.
• 😀 Failures can occur due to 'infant mortality' (design flaws), random overstress (external events), or decay (material degradation over time).
• 😀 Material decay occurs due to environmental factors like UV radiation or aging, affecting product performance.
• 😀 Predicting product reliability requires understanding the stresses it will face and ensuring the design accounts for both average and extreme user conditions.
• 😀 Physics of failure analysis is a powerful tool for predicting material behavior and guiding product design improvements.
• 😀 Ensuring reliability involves a comprehensive approach, from early risk analysis and testing to continuous verification and learning from failures.

Q & A

What is the main focus of this webinar?

The main focus of this webinar is to explore how we can predict and proactively design the lifespan of products by understanding how materials behave during use, with a strong emphasis on material reliability.

Why is material reliability so important in product design?

Material reliability is critical because it determines the longevity and performance of a product. By understanding how materials behave under different stresses, we can prevent failures and design more durable and robust products.

What example from history is used to explain the importance of materials in product reliability?

The webinar refers to the Liberty ships built during World War II. Many of these ships suffered catastrophic failures, which were initially attributed to the workforce, but were later found to be caused by the use of brittle, low-cost metal that became fragile in cold temperatures, highlighting the importance of material selection.

What are the three main reasons for product failure discussed in the webinar?

The three main reasons for failure are: 1) Infant mortality, where a product fails early due to poor design; 2) Random overstress, where a product faces stresses it was not designed to withstand; 3) Wear-out failures, where material degradation occurs over time, leading to product failure.

What is the load-strength decay model and how does it relate to product reliability?

The load-strength decay model is a graphical representation of the relationship between the applied load on a product and its strength. It shows how different levels of stress can cause failure when the applied load exceeds the material's strength. The model helps identify safety margins and predict potential failure points.

How does the 'Physics of Failure' approach help in predicting product reliability?

The Physics of Failure approach helps predict reliability by analyzing the underlying mechanisms that cause material degradation. By understanding the physical processes that lead to failure, we can better anticipate how materials will behave under stress and design products to mitigate these risks.

What is the V-model and how does it relate to reliability engineering?

The V-model is a framework used in product development that emphasizes identifying environmental conditions and user requirements early in the design process. It ensures that stresses and material properties are properly understood and tested at all stages of development, from prototype to final product.

What are some common methods for testing material reliability during the product development process?

Common methods for testing material reliability include inline measurements, such as monitoring the degradation of materials before actual failures occur. Examples include testing the light output of LEDs or measuring the strength of materials under stressed conditions.

Why is it crucial to use correct data during material analysis, and what can go wrong if the data is incorrect?

Using correct data is essential because incorrect data can lead to false conclusions about a material’s performance. For example, using the wrong testing technique for material adhesion can result in misdiagnosing the cause of a failure, leading to ineffective solutions.

What was the issue discovered with the polycarbonate lens used in the outdoor product example?

The polycarbonate lens showed severe cracking shortly after installation due to high internal stresses. Additionally, the lens was contaminated with polyvinyl acetate, a chemical that reacted with the polycarbonate, causing it to crack and fail prematurely.