Failures of Electrical/Electronic Components: Selected Case Studies

Consumer products typically contain a large number of discrete electrical and electronic components. The failure modes of these components are usually benign. However, in some cases, these failure modes can pose a safety hazard. An understanding of a component's failure modes and mechanisms is desirable to design a product that is both safe and reliable. Two case studies are presented here: an electrical and thermal test to characterize the temperature of an aluminum electrolytic capacitor during a venting event, and a field failure case study showing a power connector failure due to improper connector mounting techniques. A summary of the test setup, test procedures and selected results are also presented here.