This paper discusses a prognostics methodology for assessing the remaining life of a group of electronic components mounted on a circuit board using a single accelerometer to monitor the life-cycle vibration loads. The accelerometer captures the global circuit board response to enable all components on the circuit board to be analyzed. A case study is presented using a single accelerometer mounted on an electronic circuit board that is subject to random vibration. The acceleration data is converted into local circuit board strain near the various components through modal analysis, and further converted into component solder joint stress by finite element analysis for the final damage assessment. The paper then compares the failure prognostic results to experimentally measured component lives through real time daisy-chain resistance measurements.

Index Terms: Accelerometer, electronics, prognostics, vibration

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