Reliability Prediction of Substitute Parts Based on Component Temperature Rating and Limited Accelerated Test Data.

For a number of reasons electronics designers often substitute electronic components with comparable parts having different power-temperature rating. This paper presents a practical method of estimating failure rates of substitute electronic component with temperature characteristics different from that of an original part both in case of derating and ‘uprating’. The proposed method describes how the accelerated test data pertaining to the original part can be applied to the substitute component while accounting for the difference in temperature ratings. Also, to accommodate climatic differences between the regions of equipment operation, the authors suggest the use of an equivalent failure rate by incorporating the temperature distribution function into the process of warranty prediction. The proposed technique offers the reliability engineer a practical procedure to achieve considerable savings in terms of time and cost of product validation by eliminating redundant testing and improving the accuracy of reliability prediction.