Road Test and Reliability Analysis of Automotive Electronic Modules

This paper describes a road test using a printed circuit board (PCB) used for automotive applications. In order to characterize the vibration stresses, a series of road tests were conducted which included different automobiles and road conditions such as city and highway. During the road tests, a comprehensive data acquisition system was used which can record temperature, acceleration, driving speed, strain, etc. Strain sensors are mounted on the PCB module close to a major IC component. Experimental results show a clear correlation between acceleration, speed and road conditions. The stresses obtained from vibration during the road tests are generally much smaller compared to the lab tests on a vibration table. However, the maximum board strain may be significant and worthy of further studies. The objective is to assess the fatigue risk of solder joints during field use to warranty operation of 10k hours in 15 years.