The service life of electrical components is affected by many factors:
- Working environment factors
Temperature:
High temperature environment will accelerate the aging of electrical components. The increase in temperature will increase the resistance inside the component, resulting in increased heating, thereby reducing the performance and life of the component. For example, semiconductor devices may have problems such as increased leakage current and reduced breakdown voltage at high temperatures.
Too low temperature may also have adverse effects on certain components, such as reducing the capacity of capacitors and reducing the performance of batteries.
Humidity:
High humidity environment can easily cause electrical components to get damp, causing problems such as short circuits and corrosion. Moisture will form a conductive layer on the surface of the component, or penetrate into the interior of the component to destroy the insulation performance. For example, printed circuit boards are prone to copper foil corrosion in a humid environment, leading to line failures.
The metal parts of electrical components that have been in a humid environment for a long time may rust, affecting contact performance and conductivity.
Dust and pollution:
Dust and pollutants in the air will deposit on the surface of electrical components, affecting the heat dissipation effect and may even cause short circuits. For example, dust accumulation on the radiator will reduce the heat dissipation efficiency and increase the temperature of the component.
Some chemical pollutants may react with the component materials and damage the structure and performance of the component.
- Electrical factors
Voltage fluctuations:
Excessive voltage will cause electrical components to be subjected to excessive electric field strength, which may cause insulation breakdown and component damage. For example, capacitors may be broken down under overvoltage, causing short circuits.
Too low voltage may cause components to fail to work properly, or heat up due to increased working current, affecting life. For example, when a motor runs at low voltage, the current will increase, causing the winding to heat up and accelerating insulation aging.
Current size:
High currents that exceed the rated current of the component will cause the component to heat up severely and accelerate the aging and damage of the internal materials. For example, resistors will generate a lot of heat under high currents, which may cause resistance value changes, burnout and other problems.
Continuous low currents may also affect some components, such as causing batteries to self-discharge, reducing battery capacity and life.
Frequency:
For some electrical components, such as inductors and capacitors, changes in operating frequency will affect their performance and life. For example, the equivalent series resistance of a capacitor will increase at high frequencies, resulting in increased heat generation and shortened life.
When the motor runs at different frequencies, its speed, torque and heat generation will also change, affecting the life of the motor.
- Mechanical factors
Vibration and shock:
Under vibration and shock environments, the mechanical structure of electrical components may be damaged. For example, welding points may crack, component pins may break, etc.
For some precision electronic components, such as integrated circuits and sensors, vibration and shock may affect their internal circuit structure, resulting in performance degradation or failure.
Installation method:
Incorrect installation method may cause additional stress on the components, affecting their life. For example, tightening the screws too tight may cause the components to deform and crack; loose installation may cause the components to loosen in a vibrating environment, causing problems such as poor contact.
For some components with high heat dissipation requirements, such as power transistors and heat sinks, ensure good heat dissipation contact during installation, otherwise the life will be shortened due to poor heat dissipation.
- Components’ own factors
Quality and brand:
Electrical components of different brands and qualities differ in materials, manufacturing processes and quality control, and their service life will also vary. Generally speaking, well-known brands and high-quality components usually have better performance and longer life.
High-quality components will consider more factors during the design and manufacturing process, such as heat resistance, moisture resistance, vibration resistance, etc., and can better adapt to various working environments.
Service life:
Even under normal use conditions, electrical components will gradually age over time. For example, the capacitance of capacitors will gradually decrease, the insulation performance will decrease; the resistance value of resistors may change, etc.
Some components may have potential defects that will only be exposed after a period of use, affecting their life.
