Step-stress accelerated degradation test modeling and statistical analysis methods

Abstract

In order to get a rapid assessment on the storage reliability of high-reliable and long-life products within the storage period, accelerated degradation test data with a large amount of reliability information of product is adopted. Conducting a constant-stress accelerated degradation test(CSADT) is generally very costly as it requires a large sample size and long time for test. To overcome this problem, it is necessary to carry out research on modeling and statistical analysis methods of step-stress accelerated degradation test (SSADT). Taking electrical connectors as the object, a research is conducted on statistical model and assessment method for SSADT. On the basis of mixed-effect degradation path model, the statistical model of SSADT for electrical connectors is presented, the maximum likelihood method for SSADT data based on mixed-effect degradation model is proposed. SSADT accelerated by temperature stress is conducted to Y11X-1419 type of electrical connectors, and the storage reliability is assessed with the SSADT data. Compared with the result obtained from accelerated life test, the reliability estimation of 32-year storage period for electrical connectors obtained from SSADT data only have a difference of 0.869%, which validates the accuracy of the degradation model and the feasibility of the test data statistic analysis method put forward. © Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.