This paper presents a physics-of-failure based prognostics and health management approach for effective reliability prediction. This method permits in-situ assessment of system reliability under actual application conditions. The method uses sensor data with models that enable in-situ assessment of the deviation or degradation of a product from an expected normal operating condition (i.e., the system’s “health”) and the prediction of the future state of reliability. The implementation procedure of this approach includes failure modes, mechanisms, and effects analysis, data reduction and feature extraction from the life-cycle loads, damage accumulation, and assessment of uncertainty.

Index Terms: prognostics and health management, physics-of-failure

Complete article is available to CALCE PHM Consortium Members.