Experimental Validation of Remaining Useful Life of Electronic Boards in Complex Avionics Systems

Abstract

The avionics systems operate in a harsh environment and thus pose many complexities in the design and development of a reliable electronic system having an extended lifetime. Hence, the operational health of the involved electronic hardware needs to be suitably evaluated, monitored, and controlled. The design and implementation of life prediction methodologies for the prognostic and diagnostic cycles under the operational test environment can add significant value to the development and maintainability of long-life avionics systems and sub-systems. The present analysis considers a systematic approach to evolve and establish a simulation and validation approach for an identified Single Board Computer (SBC) card operating in the varied thermal and mechanical environment as per it’s intended operational environment. The detailed modelling of the components, solder material, PCB layers, and material properties are used to predict the Remaining Useful Life (RUL) under varying operational environmental conditions. The experimental validation on the SBC-PCB assembly card is performed under the thermal and vibration cycles by testing in the actual accelerated testing scenarios. The experimental findings are compared with the simulation results to ascertain the methodology with a good correlation of findings. The research was carried out in a progressive route to propose a useful methodology and model for accurately assessing the RUL of the electronic board used in avionics systems development. Assessing the failure of the components during the design phase can help in reducing the uncertainties, improving the RUL by design, and reducing the maintenance which will directly translate into short-term project cost and time-saving as well as long-term product operational cost savings. The product maintenance cycle can be ascertained and increases the availability of the system for its intended use.