ARAŞTIRMA R A P O R U- S E R B E S T

ANAHTAR KELİMELER

RELIABILITY SYRUP GARDEN TEST

ACCELERATION FAILURE MODE SEALING
HARSH ENVIRONMENT POSITIONAL EFFECTS SIMULATION
ANT INSECT PENETRATION ACO
COLONY COATING

RAPOR NO ARS – 434

ENSURING HIGH QUALITY BY ACCELERATING THE

BAŞLIK RELIABILITY TESTING OF HOME APPLIANCE BOARDS FOR
SIMULATING HARSH ENVIRONMENTS

YAZARLAR ÖNDER SÜNETCİ

TARİH 23 / MAYIS / 2023

DAĞITIM SERBEST DAĞITIM

SINIRLARI

YAZARLAR ADINA ÖNDER SÜNETCİ Elektronik onay alınmıştır.

YÖNETİCİ ONAYI DENİZ TURAÇ Elektronik onay alınmıştır.

DİREKTÖR ONAYI
HAKAN GÖKTAY Elektronik onay alınmıştır.

EXECUTIVE DİREKTÖR ONAYI FATİH ÖZKADI Elektronik onay alınmıştır.

ARÇELİK A.Ş.
Kalite, Sürdürülebilirlik ve Resmi İlişkiler Direktörlüğü
Tuzla 34950, İSTANBUL
BU ARAŞTIRMA YAYINININ HER HAKKI ARÇELİK A.Ş.'YE AİTTİR. İZİNSİZ ÇOĞALTILIP DAĞITILAMAZ.

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 DAĞITIM LİSTESİ

KALİTE, SÜRDÜRÜLEBİLİRLİK VE RESMİ İLİŞKİLER DİREKTÖRLÜĞÜ

Sn. Fatih ÖZKADI
Sn. Hakan GÖKTAY
Sn. Mehmet OTURAK
Sn. Deniz TURAÇ
Sn. Hülya KİRAZ

AR-GE DİREKTÖRLÜĞÜ
Sn. Emre OĞUZ
Sn. Muzaffer ÖZTÜRK
Sn. Onur DİNÇER
Sn. Mustafa Suphi GEYİK
Sn. Bekir YALIN
Sn. Aybüke GÖZÜTOK BİLİR

ÇMİ
Sn. Atilla UZ
Sn. Ömer Seyhun BAKIRHAN
Sn. Hakan TATAR
Sn. Ahmet SÖZEN

EBİ
Sn. Yüksel ATİLLA
Sn. Veysi ERCAN
Sn. Mehmet Onur ÇETİN
Sn. Emre AKYILDIZ

BMİ
Sn. Soner KAHRAMAN
Sn. Önder BALİOĞLU
Sn. Yağız TEZEL
Sn. Mustafa TEZEL

KMİ
Sn. Fikri ÖZDEMİR
Sn. Umut GÜVEN
Sn. Aykun AÇIL
Sn. Gökhan GÜRGEN

PCİ
Sn. Abdurrahman ŞAHİN
Sn. Nayman Güvenç NUMANOĞLU
Sn. Melih ÖZDOĞAN
Sn. Mücahit BACAKSIZ

EKI
Sn. Ertan ÇETİNKAYA
Sn. Sıtkı BİÇER
Sn. Hüseyin KAYAR
Sn. Emre YILDIRIM

ELEKTRONİK İŞLETMESİ
Sn. Veli AĞ

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 Bu makale, Amsterdam’da Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA) tarafından
organize edilen Electronics in Harsh Environments Conference (ARDC) isimli
konferansta, 23 Mayıs 2023 tarihinde sunulmuş ve konferans bildiri kitabında yayınlanmıştır.

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 ÖZET / ABSTRACT ve SONUÇLAR / RESULTS
ENSURING HIGH QUALITY BY ACCELERATING THE RELIABILITY
TESTING OF HOME APPLIANCE BOARDS FOR SIMULATING HARSH
ENVIRONMENTS
Önder Sünetci
Arçelik
Istanbul, Turkey
onder.sunetci@arcelik.com
ABSTRACT
Although electrical appliances are generally
considered operating in the most comfortable
areas of the home and in very average
conditions, they are exposed to a variety of
environmental factors throughout their
operating life. In some markets, these
conditions can even be so high as to meet the
definition of a "harsh environment". The
scenarios showing abnormal usage conditions
are not far from reality for these products.
In this study, it is aimed to explain the
problem of refrigerator electronic cards
malfunctioning because of insect penetration,
which arises in line with a real market need
that can serve as an example for all these
requirements and information, and to give
information about solution suggestions and
test/simulation methods. In this context,
information is given about the representative
simulation test methods developed for the
determination of the root cause of the
problem, the solution proposals for the
elimination or prevention of this root cause,
and the verification of the solutions. The
developed test method can simulate the
failure situation that occurs under actual
operating conditions in a much shorter time.
Among the suggested solutions, alternatives
such as covering the electronic board itself
with materials such as conformal coating or
potting, placing the card in a sealed
cardholder, and isolation of the openings of
the card with the outside world (mains cable
connection, connector connections, etc.) have
been evaluated. Additionally, the locations of
the electronic cards, which are typically
attractive to insects, provide helpful insights
for identifying solutions.
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Keywords: Harsh environment, household
appliances, stress factors, ants, acceleration
factor, insect penetration, garden test,
reliability.
INTRODUCTION
Considering that a company that
manufactures and sells at a global level, the
products must go through various
transportation stages to deliver products to all
markets in the world, the types, and levels of
stress that an electrical household appliance
can see increase even more. Therefore, in
terms of lifecycle management, a white goods
product developer must consider all the steps
from the production stage to the delivery of
the product to the customer, from the usage
and service conditions at the customer to the
actions to be taken at the end of the product
life cycle.
Electronic cards in an electrical home
appliance; may be exposed to temperature,
humidity, vibration, mechanical shocks,
corrosive environments, ESD (Electrostatic
Discharge), chemicals, electrical grid
disruption, surges, and interruptions, as well
as environmental stresses such as pollution,
insects, or other foreign materials. Depending
on the conditions of the end-use environment
of the product, these levels may reach
severities that can also be described as a
"harsh environment". Considering all these
possibilities, proper design, development, and
verification processes should be operated [1].
As a particular case, ant attacks and
infestations pose a significant risk to
electronic cards, necessitating the
implementation of specific protection
measures.
 CAUSES AND EFFECTS FOR THE
FAILURE MODE
Ants and Their Electrical Resistance
The electrical resistance or electrical
conductance of ants can vary depending on
several factors, including the size, species,
and physiological state of the ant, as well as
the frequency and amplitude of the electrical
signal being measured. Ants are known to
exhibit some electrical conductivity due to the
presence of charged particles, such as ions, in
their bodies. However, the exact mechanisms
underlying this conductivity and how it varies
across different ant species and physiological
states are not well understood [2].
Some studies have measured the electrical
conductance of ants by attaching electrodes to
their bodies and measuring the current flow in
response to a voltage applied to the electrode.
The results have varied widely, with reported
values ranging from several kiloohms to
several megaohms. In a Master of Science
thesis study [3], the electrical conductivity of
the ant mud nest was measured approximately
as 6.1 Deci Siemens per meter (ds/m). Given
the electrical resistance, this value seems to
have a higher conductivity than declared for
the ants themselves, ranging from a few
kiloohms to a few megaohms. This may be
due to the measurement method or sample
properties.
interesting ant colony optimization (ACO)
algorithm that has been motivated by the
experiments considering the grouping of ants
in real environments. The algorithm is
devised to study the behavior of real ants to
choose the shortest path between their nest
and food resources [6].
Combining this information with the
uncertain levels of electrical resistance, they
may create an unknown impedance against
potential voltages they come across on an
electronic board, because, as a colony, they
can be connected as a complex structure
(series and parallel ants). Figure 1
symbolically shows the unprotected state of
the component pins on an electronic board
(a), trying to protect it with an insufficiently
thick coating (b), and the ants coming
together to form an electrical path between
these two pins (c). Ants can wander randomly
on the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) surface,
being attracted to locations with warm
temperatures (such as IGBT surfaces) or
places with their favorite type of materials
(such as PCB slits), and they can gravitate
towards these parts.

So, there is no conclusive ant electrical

resistance information that can be accepted
for direct calculations in the literature.
Though, there are some comprehensive
studies for other insects such as houseflies
[4].
Ants, Also as Colonies
Ants are social insects that often prefer
walking as colonies rather than individually.
They live in colonies that can range in size
from a few dozen individuals to several
million [5]. They communicate with each
other through chemical signals known as
pheromones. These pheromones help the ants Figure 1. Pins on the PCB. a) No Coating
to follow the trail laid down by the lead ants, Applied. b) Conformal Coated Pins c) Insect
allowing them to navigate and find food Attack Creating Impedance Path Between
sources more efficiently as a group. Their Insufficiently Coated Pins
colony-style movements lead to the
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 Positional Effects
Refrigerators can be a natural target for ants,
as they contain different kinds of foods for
them. Ants may wander randomly to search
and explore food anywhere in the refrigerator.
If this “random food discovery” causes their
journey to come onto the electronic boards of
the refrigerator, there starts the PCB failure
risk.
For the decreasing the possibility of ants or
other kinds of insects, position of the product
in the kitchen or position of the electronic
board inside the product are critical. It has
been founded out that, if the PCB is located at
the top plate of the refrigerator, the ant
entrance effect may be decreased.
Figure 2. PCB Placement on the Refrigerator
Considering the three alternative locations for
PCB placement as shown in Figure2, the
comparison of the probability of ant attack is
like given in the Equation (1).
P(E1) > P(E2) > P(E3)
(1)
Also, it is important for the distance between
the wall and the backdoor of the refrigerator.
If the distance is very small (such as < 5 cm),
the ants may reach to the E2 location from the
wall, resulting P(E1) ≅ P(E2).
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Preventive Methods
For preventing against ants, it is natural to
think of blocking their way to the electronic
boards. This may be either sealing by a board
holder or applying a coating layer on the
PCB. Each of these methods should evaluate
all the ways to entrance. For sealing by the
board holder, it should be especially noted
that these creatures can use any small
openness. So, any possibilities such as,
around the cable harness, mains cable, screw
holes, or meeting faces shall be carefully
investigated for sealing. This sealing also
must be reliable enough for long-term
protection.
Other than outside sealing, PCB coating
improves the preventive performance against
insects. But here also care must be taken. If
using conformal coating, as it is generally thin
in the 25-200 microns level, the conductive
parts (pins) of the components on the PCB
may not be sufficiently covered and insects
may still create impedance effect between
uncovered pins as shown in Figure 1 b and c.
There are also innovative methods, such as
patented electromagnetic apparatus [7] and
novel nano-coatings [8] and [9].
Failure Mechanism Due to Ants or Other
Insects
If a board is operating in an environment
without sufficient protection, it may be
exposed to attacks by insects or ants. This is
valid especially if the environment is outdoors
or kitchen where these species are extensively
existing. These attacks may create temporary
functional failures or permanent failures. An
ant or colonies of ants can create an
impedance path between two conducting pins
on a PCB. This impedance path may result in
the burn of the related components or an
arcing-like short circuit through the bodies of
the ant colonies. Ants can hover on the PCB
or nest in some location they prefer. When the
damaged refrigerator electronic boards
returning from the field due to ants or insects
are examined, the places with high voltage on
the PCB, IGBT pins, the pins of the DC Bus
capacitors, or the parts with the slits placed
for isolation were observed as the places
preferred by the ant colonies.
 For example, in traffic lights, it is reported as, straightforward to obtain the AF(Syrup) value
arriving ants that touch shocked ants also get due to the nature and randomness of the
shocked. Therefore, many ants accumulate effect.
around a point such as the switching
mechanism in a traffic switch box, causing it AF = AF(Garden) * AF(Syrup)
to malfunction [10]. (2)

Simulating Ant Effects (Garden Test) An acceleration factor can also be determined
To simulate the effects of the ants in the field, using Equation (3) to translate the results
by testing, a special test is required. Here, from the accelerated testing to the product life
proposed garden test method is understood as under a normal use environment by taking the
the one that shows similar to real cases. To ratio of time to failure (TTF) at normal
this end, products (such as refrigerators) are conditions to that at accelerated conditions
put under operation on garden medium, where [11]:
ant nests are available. There, it is required to
expect their trials to enter to the electronic AF = TTF (Normal stress) / TTF (Accelerated stress)
boards of the refrigerators. This may take (3)
some long time, that’s why an acceleration
method is required, such as the one defined in Table 1 gives the results of a real Garden Test
the next subsection. for refrigerators. It has been seen that, due to
ant issues, in an accelerated manner Non-
Accelerating The Test Protected PCBs failed just in 5 weeks. Sealing
To accelerate the garden test, it is required the the PCB cover improved the failure time to up
electronic board on the refrigerator becomes to 7 weeks, while additional conformal
an attraction point for the ants. To this end, coating application bring the endurance to
sweet syrup such as concentrated artificial more than even 14 weeks. Considering these
sala flavored syrup has been applied onto the as the results of an accelerated test and the
PCB surfaces carefully and to the PCB- randomness of the ant penetration in normal
Holder surfaces. This makes the ants more use conditions, the protection levels may be
sensitive and willing to penetrate the sufficient for a much longer duration under an
electronic boards more quickly. ordinary operation environment (such as a
kitchen).
As explained above, ants, if they somehow
can enter inside, wander randomly on the Table 1.
PCB surface. As there is syrup over random Protection Levels Against Tests Durations
Sealing
points, they go through the surface, creating Non- Sealed
and
various patterns. They can cause PCB Duration Protected PCB
Conformal
PCB Cover
malfunction due to creating an impedance Coating
path (like a short circuit) between two points 1 Week S S S
2 Weeks S S S
having a high-voltage potential difference. 3 Weeks S S S
4 Weeks S S S
An accurate acceleration factor (AF) 5 Weeks F S S
6 Weeks S S
calculation or modeling is not easy for the 7 Weeks F S
failure mechanism defined in this paper. 8 Weeks S
Stresses that constitute the acceleration factor 9 Weeks S
in the here-defined test are sweet syrup 10 Weeks S
11 Weeks S
(meaning more attraction for the ants) and 12 Weeks S
garden environment instead of a home 13 Weeks S
(meaning wider temperature and humidity 14 Weeks S
range, corrosive effects, etc.). A general 15 Weeks F
formula for the acceleration factor can be * S: Survival, F: Failure
stated as given in Equation (2). It is not very
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 findings suggest that the test acceleration
Without appropriate protections, refrigerator could be up to ten times faster than in real-
electronic boards tend to fail due to ant- world conditions.
related issues within around 9 months
(approximately 39 weeks) in real-world
conditions in the targeted markets. This ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
failure rate can be converted to an The success of this study was heavily
acceleration factor (AF) of 9.75 by dividing dependent on the involvement of various
39 weeks by the 4 weeks listed in Table 1, stakeholders from diverse domains. I wish to
which is considered reasonable. With this AF, express my sincere appreciation, with a
it is possible to estimate the lifespan of sealed particular acknowledgement to Teeradech
and conformal coated electronic boards to be Rattana and Paiboon Pothithanasit from
approximately 136.5 weeks by multiplying Beko-Thai and Surasee Karawapornput from
9.75 by 14 weeks listed in Table 1. Arçelik-Hitachi, for their indispensable
support.
CONCLUSION
Ants can cause damage to electrical
components and electronic boards by building
nests in or around them, which can lead to
overheating and potentially cause a short
circuit. Additionally, ants may chew through
insulation on electrical wires, which can
expose the metal wire and cause a short
circuit. Therefore, it is important to keep
electrical devices and wiring free of debris
and to seal any cracks or openings to prevent
ants from entering.

The variability of the electrical resistivity of

ants is influenced by several factors, including
their species, physical size, ion content, and
whether they are alone or part of a colony.
Due to the lack of a comprehensive study, it is
difficult to define this value accurately, which
could have implications for circuit design.
Until further research is conducted, protective
measures for electronic boards may involve
mechanical barriers such as board holder
sealing, encapsulation or potting, conformal
or nanoparticle coating, or innovative
repellent methods such as chemical or
electronic approaches. Designers may also
consider the placement of electronic boards
on products as a criterion for increasing
reliability.

According to this research, the Garden Test,

which is a proposed method to assess the
ability of electronic boards in refrigerators
and similar products to withstand ant
invasions, has the potential to serve as an
expedited testing procedure. The study
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 REFERENCES
[8] Sunetci, O., "An Alternative Technology
[1] Sunetci, O., “Combining Accelerated Life to Conformal Coatings and Potting Materials:
Testing with Reliability Growth Analysis to Nanocoating for Electronic Circuit
Optimize Approval Process”, Applied Protection", 8th Nanoscience and
Reliability and Durability Conference Nanotechnology Congress, 25 June 2012.
(ARDC), 3 April 2019, Berlin, Germany.
[9] Sunetci, O., “Corrosion Protection
[2] OpenAI, ChatGPT AI Language Model, Reliability of Electronic Boards Using
https://openai.com/blog/chat-gpt/, Response Nanoparticle Containing Coatings", 10th
to Author’s Question, March 2023. Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Congress,
21 June 2014.
[3] Ismael, H., 2015. “Comparative Study on
some Physical and Chemical Properties of [10] Web manuscript, “Ants and Electrical
Ant, Wasp and Termite Insects Nest-Mud”, Equipment”, https://ant-pests.extension.org/
MS Thesis, University of Gezira. Access: March 2023.

[4] Takikawa, Y., 2020, “Body Water- [11] Haleh Ardebili, Michael G. Pecht,
Mediated Conductivity Actualizes the Insect- “Encapsulation Technologies for Electronic
Control Functions of Electric Fields in Applications”, Chapter9, 2019.
Houseflies”, National Center for
Biotechnology Information.

[5] Patricia Alder, P., 2018. “A Guide to

House-Invading Ants and Their Control”, NC
State Extension Publications.

[6] N. Jayalakshmi, Sridevi Mantha,

“Artificial Intelligence in Data Mining”,
“Chapter2: Intelligence Methods for Data
Mining Task”, 2021.

[7] Jerry C. Moore, 2007, “DC Ant and Insect

Repeller”, US Patent 7240455, filed August 1,
2005, and issued July 10, 2007.

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 KONFERANS ARÇELİK SUNUMU

Konferans detaylarına aşağıdaki bağlantılardan ulaşılabilir:

https://smta.org/mpage/harsh-technical/

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