1.1 INTRODUCTION

Failure analysis is the process of determining the cause of failure, collecting and analyzing data, and developing conclusions to eliminate the failure mechanism causing specific device or system failures. Failures can occur throughout a product s life cycle. These failures can result from design, workmanship, components and manufacturing processes, overstress, and maintenance. Table 1.1 generically outlines factors affecting reliability.

It is all too often that a failure analyst has limited information concerning the cause of a failure. Details surrounding the cause will not only aid the analyst in the failure analysis process, but the results of the analysis also will be more meaningful when completed. A failure reporting, analysis, and corrective action system (FRACAS), as described in Chapter 2, is used by many organizations to track failures associated with their products. A FRACAS can provide the valuable information necessary to perform a complete and accurate failure analysis. When data is not available, the analyst may take the role of a private investigator to determine details surrounding the cause of failure. A complete and accurate failure analysis will allow a designer or user to take the action necessary to remedy the problem. Cost savings associated with the corrective action are...