PRODUCT FAILURE

Product failure causes can be complex, and, in the hiding, you need the right equipment and knowledge to analyze the failure correctly. We found that hydrocarbon or fluorocarbon fluids flowing through Teflon tubes can create very high static charges. In this case, kerosene was flowing through a wire-braid hose with a Teflon liner. The static charge built up on the interior of the Teflon surface and then discharged to the wire braid on the outside of the tube. The discharge created a hole through the Teflon liner and the glass fiber insulation on the outside of the Teflon. The result was the formation of a leak. There were a number of these discharges, so the leak became significant.

In the presence of polar organic contaminants tin from solder will grow across the circuit board between two sites of opposite potential. Over time this will result in the failure of the circuit board. In the photograph below, there is a post in the lower right and an active circuit along the upper area of the field.

Failure analysis is only the beginning knowing how something failed is the key. The next step is to identify why it failed the way it did. This ultimately leads to when the failure began and the root cause of the failure. The final failure is often the result of a process that began long before the failure was evident. Knowing the beginning of this process is essential to adequately improve the product or to assessing responsibility for the failure.

PRODUCT FAILURE RATES

Product Failure, Contamination Control, and Other Special