Track 1 Session 7

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, October 21, 2010

Early Detection of Complex Field Damage Cases After Market Launch: Processes and Case Studies in the Automotive Industry

Added values to maintain customer satisfaction, especially within the automotive industry, lead to increasing product functionality and, as a result, to escalating component complexity. Besides reduced development phases, this results in complex damage caused in the field during the product use phase. A key element to ensure product reliability lies in a precise and economical reliability analysis during the customer's use phase. This presentation shows approaches of current research work for statistical and technical damage analysis of field damage cases. The field damage analysis (FDA) process, developed by the Cologne University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with leading automotive companies and suppliers, integrates these approaches with the goal of:

• Detection and differentiation of major damage causes (statistical and technical analysis of the field damaged components)
• Prediction of possible future damage causes in the use phase (through statistical analysis)
• Reduction of costs for the reliability analysis

Key Words: Reliability Analysis, Field Observation, Detecting Damage Causes

Stefan Bracke

Cologne University of Applied Sciences