Motor drive systems reliability: Impact of the environment conditions on the electronic component failure rates

This article discusses the actual failure rate of electronic components when these are exposed to harsh environments, which can include vibration, dust, humidity, high temperature and others. It presents a compilation on the physico-chemical effects that can take place when electronic components are stressed and how such effects can reduce the component life. It is also presented a compilation of the results of a thorough and comprehensive research on different standards for reliability prediction, along with a critical and comparative analysis between the methodologies and applications related to each one of them. Furthermore, to provide the reader a broader understanding of the methodology used in these standards, an example employing a typical SV-PWM converter used in motor drive systems, submitted to different environmental stresses, is used as a case study.