This paper discusses a health monitoring and prognostics methodology for assessing the reliability of a group of electronic components mounted on a printed circuit board by using strain gauges and an accelerometer to monitor the life-cycle vibration loads. These loads were converted into the component interconnect's stress values, which were then used in a vibration failure fatigue model for damage assessment. Damage estimates were accumulated using Miner’s rule and then used to predict the life consumed and remaining life. The results were verified by experimentally measuring component lives through real-time daisy-chain resistance measurements.

Index Terms: Accelerometer, electronics, health monitoring, printed circuit board, prognostics, reliability, strain gauge, vibration.

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