Physics of Failure

Course information

4 days
20 & 21 November, 11 & 12 December 2025

Investment

The investment is €3.150, (excl. VAT) per participant.

Included are the four training days, a syllabus of the course material, the book ‘Advanced Engineering Design; Lifetime performance and Reliability’, refreshments and daily lunches.

Additionally, participants can join the Reliability User Group four times for free (valid until one year after the last day of this course).

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About the course HI-RF9 Physics of Failure.

The participants of the course RF9 Physics of Failure acquire detailed knowledge on failure mechanisms in products and their impact on reliability.

Thinking in functions and failure mechanisms is essential during the Product Creation Process (PCP). Loss of functionality implies the failure of construction or design. This can be prevented in numerous ways. Insight into the physics of failure contributes to the Product Creation Process during all development phases of reliable systems.

The course focuses on the identification, understanding and modeling of failure mechanisms. Based on appropriate design measures, the probability failures is minimized. After this, the Reliability can be predicted, accounting for variation due to design, manufacturing and user.

You will learn to think in terms of failure mechanisms during development and insight into failure mechanisms in mechanical, mechatronics, and electronic systems. Topics covered include: Fatigue, Wear-out, Degradation, Connections, Electrical failures and modeling and prevention of failure mechanisms.

RF9 open image

With this course you’ll learn:

Practical and detailed knowledge about failure mechanisms in products and their impact on reliability
How to apply the gained knowledge immediately to design for reliability (DfR) and product improvement projects to prevent failures

Teaching professionals.

Dr. Anton van Beek

Teacher at TU Delft works at the Department of Precision and Microsystems Engineering

He is the author of the book ‘Advanced Engineering Design; Lifetime performance and Reliability’. As a tribologist, he increased his area of knowledge with many failure mechanisms. Apart from his work for the TU Delft he is also a consultant for several wear and fatigue issues.

Dr. Ir. Coen Smits

Scientific Director Reliability

He has been with Holland Innovative for over 10 years as a reliability specialist with assignments in many high tech and automotive organizations. He holds a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from the Eindhoven University of Technology.

Course: Physics of Failure.

Outcome

The course Physics of Failure focuses on the identification, understanding and modeling of failure mechanisms to prevent failures and improve reliability. The knowledge gained will be applicable during the Design for Reliability and product improvement projects.

Identifying critical components in systems and taking the necessary measures is an essential skill to avoid failures and to achieve a reliable design. A component can fail in many ways and understanding the underlying causes of failure and failure mechanisms, is a prerequisite for a proper design. Not only does it save time and money during product development, it also prevents dissatisfied customers and users.

Physics of Failure

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What you’ll learn.

Block 1 - day 1 & 2

What you'll learn on day 1 and 2 of the course

Failure cause, failure mechanism, failure effect. Thinking in terms of failure mechanisms.
Risk analysis (FMEA) of a test setup and component; defining failure mechanisms.
Fatigue, Material behavior, types of fracture, Hertzian stresses, static and dynamic strength
Wear-out mechanisms - tribology. Pitting, fretting, cavitation, erosion, lubrication, contamination, sealing.

Block 2 - day 3 & 4

What you'll learn on day 3 and 4 of the course

Degradation - chemical reactions. Temperature, humidity, contamination, oxidation, crystallization, ozone, UV radiation. Degradation models such as Arrhenius, Peck, Coffin-Manson, Power-law.
Failure of connections, bolts, inserts, glues, welds.
Electrical failures, such as short circuit, burn-in, contact resistance, SN-whiskers, EMC, ESD.
Design guidelines, safety factors and deratin

Relevant courses.

HI-RF 01 Life Data Analysis and Reliability Testing

Reliability System Engineering

Predict the reliability of your product based on field and test data.

Ir. Elly van den Bliek

Competence Lead Reliability

6 days

HI-RF 02 System Reliability

Reliability System Engineering

Become a reliability engineer to perform reliability and risk analyses of complex systems.

Ir. Elly van den Bliek

Competence Lead Reliability

5 days

HI-RF 06 Software Reliability

Reliability System Engineering

Become a software reliability engineering professional capable of supporting the creation of Reliable Software for complex systems.

Ir. Bryan Bakker

Test Architect at Sioux Technologies

3 days

HI-RF 10 Problem Solving through Statistical Engineering

Reliability System Engineering

Become a complete problem solver by using Statistical Engineering method.

Dr. Ir. Coen Smits

Scientific Director Reliability

5 days

HI-RF 12 Electronics Reliability

Reliability

Gain a basic understanding of development, production and test methods regarding electronic components.

Dr. Martin Dazer

Head of Reliability and Drive Technology Department at Institute of Machine Components, University of Stuttgart

2 days

Practical information.

For whom

The course is intended for development and reliability professionals actively involved in design, testing, warranty analysis, reliability and risk analysis (FMEA) within DfR, DfSS, and improvement projects. It is an extension of the DfSS Black Belt training with respect to reliability.

Certificate

At the end of the last session, you will receive a declaration of participation. Moreover, the training can serve as one of the modules to obtain the Certificate Reliability Engineer according to VDI 4002.

The Reliability Foundation Program is a post-graduate education, focusing on the practical aspects of reliability engineering. The program has been developed in accordance with VDI 4002 reliability guidelines in collaboration with the University of Stuttgart and consists of several modules that will result in a VDI reliability engineer certification.