Field Failure Research Articles

A rapid life-prediction approach for solder joints based on modified Engelmaier fatigue model

Accelerated life test (ALT) is widely used to predict life of solder joints nowadays, and how to shorten the test time and improve the precise of evaluation is one of the most important issues. Based on statistical results of field failure for solder joints, improved ALT under combined thermal cycling and vibration loading conditions was designed and carried out. This paper presents a modified Engelmaier fatigue model to predict life of solder joints, by taking into account field failure data and ALT testing data. The results show that test time of improved ALT is more shorter than conventional one, and the result of remaining life prediction based on modified Engelmaier fatigue model becomes more precise due to improving life model and increasing information.

Age Based Overhaul Policy for Multiple Repairable Systems with Imperfect Maintenance: Case Study of Aero Engines

Reliability analysis of complex multiple repairable systems (MRS) such as aero engines, rolling stocks and nuclear power plants has always been an area of interest for the research fraternity. An appropriate age based overhaul maintenance policy for such systems can provide impetus to the operations. The paper proposes two different age based maintenance policies; Policy-I and Policy-II, to evaluate the overhaul time of an aero engine, where Policy-I considers MRS with imperfect corrective maintenance (CM), whereas Policy-II examines MRS with both imperfect CM and preventive maintenance (PM). The paper then provides a spare parts estimation model for both the policies. The developed policies and spares parts model are validated by considering field failure data of aero engines as a case and the obtained results are compared with the existing time based maintenance policy used for aero engines. The paper recommends the best policy to be used for MRS in general and the considered case in particular.

Proton Beam Therapy For Large Hepatocellular Carcinomas In Western Patients

High rates of local control with low risk of hepatotoxicity have been reported in Eastern patients with large hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) treated with proton beam therapy (PBT). How generalizable these data are to Western patients is unclear. We present a retrospective study on the clinical outcomes of Western patients with large HCCs treated with PBT at a single institution. Forty-four HCC patients with tumors ≥ 5 cm and ineligible for other liver-directed therapies were treated with PBT between 2014-2019 with a 15-fraction regimen of 45.0-67.5 Gy (RBE). Radiation-induced liver disease (RILD) was defined by a Child-Pugh (CP) score increase of 2 or greater and/or RTOG grade 3 enzyme elevation. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and local control (LC) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and univariate predictors of OS by Cox regression analysis. Patients represented a high-risk cohort: 50% with BCLC stage C, 27% with CP-B/C cirrhosis, 34% with gross vascular invasion, and a median gross tumor volume (GTV) size and volume of 11.1 cm (5.6-21.5 cm) and 364 cc (48-2439 cc), respectively. The target lesion(s) received prior liver-directed therapies in 39% of patients. Pencil beam scanning was used in the majority of patients (64%), and a simultaneous integrated boost/protection technique was employed in 75% to deliver moderate tumor dose escalation to an average GTV mean BED of 87.0 Gy(RBE) (see table for average dosimetric parameters). Median follow-up for all patients and survivors was 8.5 months and 11 months, respectively. 1-year OS and PFS were 53% (95% CI 33-66%) and 19% (95% CI 10-35%), respectively. Median OS and PFS were 12 months (95% CI 7-25) and 4 months (95% CI 2-9), respectively. 1-yr LC was 93% (95% CI 74-98%), and crude local failure (LF) rate was 14% (n = 6) with one isolated LF. Median time to local failure was 43 months (95% CI 14-not reached). Tumor size and GTV dose were not statistically different between patients with LC and LF. Out of field liver recurrences were the dominant pattern of failure occurring in 61% of patients with disease progression. On univariate analysis, only tumor size was prognostic for OS (HR 1.27, p<0.001). Two (4.5%) grade 3 non-GI toxicities occurred: 1 chest wall pain syndrome/rib fracture and 1 pneumonitis. One acute GI grade ≥2 toxicity (nausea) occurred. Six patients (14%) experienced RILD; all but one patient had baseline CP-B liver function. In this largest series to date of Western HCC patients with high-risk large tumors, moderate dose escalated PBT results in excellent local control rates and acceptable toxicities. Out of field and distant failures remain problematic, which warrant improved systemic therapies in these patients.Abstract 3408; TableParameter Gy (RBE)GTV MeanGTV DmaxGTV D95GTV DminGTV % > 90Gy BEDLiver-GTV MeanAverage61.664.85448.252%15.5Range45.8-69.947.6-71.537.5-69.417.9-68.62.93-21.0 Open table in a new tab

Internal Diesel Injector Deposit Chemical Speciation and Quantification Using 3D OrbiSIMS and XPS Depth Profiling

&lt;div class="section abstract"&gt;&lt;div class="htmlview paragraph"&gt;The impact of internal diesel injector deposits (IDIDs) on engine performance, efficiency and emissions remains a major concern in the automotive industry. This has been compounded in recent years by fuel injection equipment developments and changes to diesel fuel towards ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and biodiesel as well as the introduction of new fuels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). Prevention and mitigation of such deposit formation requires an understanding of the formation process, which demands a chemical explanation. The chemistry of these deposits therefore remains a key research interest to the industry using the latest analytical methodologies to inform and build further on previous investigations. In this work, 3D OrbiSIMS analysis using a time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometer (ToF-SIMS) with hybrid Orbitrap&lt;sup&gt;TM&lt;/sup&gt; functionality has been employed for chemical speciation and depth profiling of IDIDs in-situ on two injector needle samples from field failures in China and Eastern USA. The instrument’s soft gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) and high mass resolution enables unequivocal identification of chemistries from several classes of compounds. Here, chemistries identified include alkylbenzene sulfonates, zinc oxides, sodium and calcium salts, carboxylic acids, carbonaceous/polyaromatic hydrocarbons and metal substrate related material. With depth profiling, the distributions of these materials are traced throughout the deposit thickness. Given the semi-quantitative nature of SIMS data, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) depth profiling using an argon GCIB has also been employed to provide parallel data of atomic concentration through the deposit thickness. This data is complementary to SIMS as it places the chemical information in a quantitative context, most notably showing that despite the extreme intensities of salt material in the SIMS data, carbon is the main element throughout both IDIDs. Together the techniques show in general the more functionalized chemistries are at the deposit surface, with underlying salt layers and innermost layers of more amorphous organic material. These techniques represent a new method of comprehensive IDID characterization that affords diagnostic chemical information alongside elemental quantification, thus complementing previous studies.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

A Study on the Prediction of Failure Rate of Airforce OO Guided Missile Based on Field Failure Data

A Study on the Prediction of Failure Rate of Airforce OO Guided Missile Based on Field Failure Data

Failure Investigation of Rear Axle Taper Roller Bearing by Using the Vibration Spectrum

Prevention of the occurrence of field failures of taper roller bearings under high-load and moderate-speed application is the prime challenge for bearing manufacturers. Failures result from numerous defects in bearing, such as localized or distributed defects. Various controls have been aligned in the manufacturing process to prevent outflow of defective bearings to end-application. However, still a part in million skips the controls in process and gets assembled in final application. In this literature, experiments are conducted to study the effect of grinding defect on cone track surface of taper roller bearing using the vibration spectrum, due to its peculiar unidentifiable nature in regular manufacturing process. Vibration analysis techniques are discussed in this case study. Statistical and spectrum analysis results are shared and concluded at the end of this case study.

Understanding field failures of composite insulators

The failure mechanism of in-service fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) rod used in composite insulators is studied experimentally; the integrity of Electrical/Chemical Resistance (ECR) of glass fibers in an epoxy-resin matrix of FRP rod used in transmission composite insulator is the subject of study. FRP Rods are subjected to extreme conditions of aging: the results of leakage current analysis, physical inspection, and corresponding Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) strongly support the reason for the failure of FRP rods under operating condition. The entry of water inside the rod-silicone rubber interface, accompanied by arcing, rise in temperature cause considerable damage and hence failure in the operation of rods. Some interesting results of laboratory aging/failures are compared with field failure samples, also a laboratory method to evaluate failures of FRP rods is proposed.

Tin Whisker Formation on Small Outline Transistors Assembled Using Bismuth-Containing Lead-Free Solder Alloys After Long-Term Ambient Temperature, High Humidity Storage Part 2: Statistical Analysis

With the introduction of environmental legislation such as the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), lead (Pb)-free materials have made their way into the electronics manufacturing industry. One issue that has emerged is that Pb-free solder alloys can initiate and grow tin whiskers under specific conditions. These whiskers are thin, highly conductive filaments which have the potential to grow and can cause field failures in many applications. Most concerning with respect to tin whiskering are high reliability applications such as aerospace, automotive, and medical.&#x0D; Bismuth (Bi) is being considered for inclusion in solder alloys to replace the current industry standard (SAC 305) and provide improved thermomechanical and vibration reliability. In this paper, we discuss whisker formation of several Bi-bearing alloys after long-term (12,000 hours), ambient high humidity (25°C/85% RH) storage. Three alloys containing Bi, in addition to SAC 305 (Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu), were considered. These alloys were Violet (Sn-2.25Ag-0.5Cu-6.0Bi), Sunflower (Sn-0.7Cu-7.0Bi), and Senju (Sn-2.0Ag-0.7Cu-3.0Bi). The boards were fabricated with electroless nickel immersion gold (ENIG) and immersion tin (ImmSn) finishes and populated with parts having Cu and Fe42Ni alloy leads and chip parts, with half of assemblies cleaned and half cleaned and contaminated with low levels of NaCl.&#x0D; This paper is the second in a series of three in which we share quantitative statistical analysis from the whisker inspection of the small outline transistor (SOT) components. It was found that on ImmSn surface finishes, the longest whiskers were found on SAC, however the longest whiskers were found on Bi-bearing alloys for ENIG. In addition, whiskers were found to generally grow in regions where the tin coverage is thin, and, on ENIG-finished assemblies, near the PCB, likely due to galvanic corrosion between the solder and the finish chemistry.

Qualitative Model Describing Hot Tear Above VIPPO and Numerous Other Design Elements

Over the last couples of years there have been numerous reports of a unique soldering failure resulting in a separation of BGA solder joints from the intermetallic compound at the interposer during reflow. In most cases, the failures were correlated with the use of Via-In-Pad-Plated-Over-Technology. Since the separation could be proven to occur during the phase transition from solid to liquid [1] the term Hot Tear was used. Even though this term is traditionally only used for tears during solidification its scope was extended to tears during any phase transition. Since the Hot Tear results in a very thin separation it is usually not inspectable, neither by means of X-Ray inspection nor by electrical testing, but results in very early field failures.&#x0D; In this paper, the general mechanism for the formation of Hot Tears will be discussed and applied to numerous other design elements that can be found on Printed Circuit Board Assemblies. We will show that due to several industry trends e.g. VIPPO, heavy copper PCBs, buried vias, non-eutectic alloys, thinner components, thicker boards, via in pad, etc. the probability of Hot Tears is steadily increasing.

Model Selection Methods for Reliability Assessment Based on Interval-Censored Field Failure Samples

Incomplete field failure data from automated production are often applied for evaluating the system reliability. But the evaluation could be impacted by the uncertainty of the product’s lifetime distribution, which is usually predetermined but may be misspecified. In this paper, we assume that the system lifetime distribution follows a location-scale family with several candidates instead of a certain distribution. Two model selection procedures are proposed to assign the most likely candidate distribution from a pool of the location-scale distributions based on interval-censored field failure samples. The maximum likelihood estimates (MLE) of parameters of the candidate distribution are estimated by using the Newton–Raphson method and the MLE of a quartile is assigned as the reliability measure for assessing the reliability of systems. To illustrate the applications of the proposed model selection procedures, an example of high-speed motor with interval-censored field failure data is given. Monte Carlo simulations are carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed model selection procedures. Simulation results show that the proposed methods are efficient for model identification and can provide reliable reliability assessment.

국내 주거 건축물 부위별 하자 유형 분류 및 원인분석에 관한 연구

The purpose of this study is to collect and basic data on various problems which is related to defect occurring in residential buildings. In order to analyze the correlation between defect types and building part, defect types were collected and classified through previous studies. On this study showed that one reason of defect type may causes various failure in several building part. For instance, The construction error might causes the water leak defect on the walls and roof, and the thermal bridge and insulation deficiencies might causes the condensation on the walls and floors. the reason of this field failures is absence of detail analysis and misunderstanding of building material’s characteristics. As a result, The standardized construction detail has to be developed to prevent possibility of defect in general.

The Hidden Cost of Worker Turnover: Attributing Product Reliability to the Turnover of Factory Workers

Traceability enables manufacturers to link the work performed by individual workers with downstream effects in a supply chain. With good traceability, firms may be able to observe the downstream quality of specific product units, recognize lapses in product reliability, connect those lapses to workforce dynamics occurring upstream in the supply chain, and correct the problems by improving those dynamics. To study this potential, we focus on the impact of worker turnover on product reliability. We collect and integrate (1) data reporting factory worker staffing and turnover within a major consumer electronics producer's supply chain and (2) traceable data covering the component quality and field failures—i.e., replacements and repairs—of nearly 50M consumer mobile devices over four years of customer usage. Devices are individually traced back to the factory conditions and staffing, down to the assembly line-week, under which they were produced. Despite the manufacturer's extensive quality-control efforts, each percentage-point increase in the weekly rate of workers quitting from an assembly line (its weekly worker turnover) is found to increase field failures by 0.74-0.79%. In the high-turnover weeks following paydays, eventual field failures are strikingly 10.2% more common than for devices produced during the lowest-turnover weeks immediately before paydays. In other weeks, the assembly lines experiencing higher turnover produce an estimated 2-3% more field failures on average. The associated costs amount to hundreds of millions USD. We demonstrate that staffing and retaining a stable factory workforce critically underlies product reliability and showcase the value of work traceability in supply chain operations.

A Study on Reliability Growth of P-3 Essential Avionic Equipments and Operational Availability Simulation

Failure of essential avionic equipments have a significant impact on the operations and safety of P-3 maritime patrol aircraft. Therefore, avionic equipments of P-3 are required to have higher reliability. Based on the field failure data, this paper studies the reliability growth of essential avionic equipments in P-3 using Duane model. Additionally, a simulation model is built and implemented for identifying the operational availability according to the field failure data of avionic equipments. Keywords: Reliability(ì‹ ë¢°ë„), Reliability Growth(ì‹ ë¢°ë„ 성장), Mean Time Between Failure(ê³ ìž¥ 간 í‰ê· ì‹œê°„), Simulation(ì‹œë®¬ë ˆì´ì ˜), Operational Availability(운용가용도)

Technology Focus: Heavy Oil (April 2020)

Technology Focus Reviewing a myriad of papers presented at different conferences during the past year and attending some of those to hear the oral presentation versions, I can group the current trends in heavy-oil operations and research into two major categories: Process optimization and use of chemicals as additives to steam and water. Here are some highlights from those categories. Several papers focused on purely computational methods—including multi-objective optimization and proxy models—to optimize the steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) method with specific attention on preferential steam allocation. Real-life examples of these applications consist of inflow- and outflow-control devices and steam splitters developed for diverting the steam to preferential zones, thus minimizing the use of steam. As an indirect meth-od to provide supplemental data for the optimized solutions, seismic data were also used. Applications of seismic waves include the depiction of steam-chamber development and monitoring wellbore integrity. Considering that many SAGD operations are reaching maturity, these applications will help maintain the steam/oil ratios at low levels, therefore extending the life of the processes. In another group of studies, chemical additives were tested at the laboratory scale to improve cold (microemulsion formulations) and thermal (to reduce steam/oil ratio) heavy-oil recovery. Examples of newly trialed chemicals include ionic liquids, foam additives, anionic and hydrophobic surfactants, switchable-hydrophilicity tertiary amines, nano-fluids (dispersed SiO2 and ZrO2), ethers, alcohols, and chelating agents as steam additives and microemulsion formulations using SiO2, anionic and nonionic surfactants as well as deep eutectic solvents for cold production. Although most of the listed optimization studies (specific examples reported include the Mackay River, Firebag, and Surmont fields) and chemical tests were done for SAGD conditions (especially at the mature level), these new technologies and applications will be a guidance to the other types of steam operations (cyclic steam injection and steamflooding) using horizontal injectors and producers. In addition to the discussed studies and practices, a plethora of field-scale activities from the Middle East, far east Asia, and the Americas have been reported on consistently. Most of those are early-stage practices or pilots, but a few are related to mature heavy-oil recovery operations. Examples include Kuwait (data collection and development plans for new heavy-oil potentials), Oman (steam management surveillance in the Mukhaizna field), Brazil (development options for the offshore Atalanta field), Venezuela (ongoing operations in the Orinoco belt), Alaska (field-scale polymer-flooding test), China (practices in the Liaohe and Bohai Bay fields), Canada (cold production using methane/ propane mixture and electrical heating pilots in Alberta), Colombia (applications of autonomous inflow-control devices in the Rubiales field), and Indonesia (identification of rod-pump failures in the Duri field). Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 196072 Laboratory and Field Testing of a Steam-Limiting Flow-Control Device Developed for Thermal Applications by Marty Lastiwka, Suncor Energy, et al. SPE 197321 Surveillance Approach of Steam Management in a Heavy-Oil Reservoir, Oman by Hajer Al Mahruqi, Occidental Petroleum SPE 198697 Effective Reservoir Management With Flow-Control Devices for SAGD Producer Wells in the Mackay River by Giuseppe Rosi, RGL Reservoir Management, et al.

Studies on ablation failure on pipeline related to lightning strikes

The phenomena lightning causes failure of buried pipelines, in the form of ablation pits on pipe wall, have been reported several times in the past, and there are only few studies focusing on the formation of such failure and the impact to structural integrity in service. To study factors causing the formation of ablation pits on pipelines, lightning strike simulation experiments were conducted on pipeline steel specimens by means of an impulse current generator facility. With the obtained steel specimens from the simulation experiments, combined with the failure samples obtained in the field, metallographic examination and mechanical property tests were carried out for further fitness-for-service analysis. The results showed that the field failure samples had consistent properties with the laboratory specimens. The microstructure of the damage part transitioned in the order of, from the ablation zone inward to the matrix, a remelting zone, an HAZ surface layer, an HAZ subsurface layer, an HAZ innermost layer, and the matrix. The field and laboratory ablation failure samples showed similar changing trend of hardness, i.e., gradually decreasing from the remelting zone to the matrix. These observations demonstrate that the damage parts have distinct mechanical properties from the normal matrix. In conclusion, the ablation failure caused by lightning strike had severe impacts to the pipeline material itself, which necessitated thorough repair of the HAZ by grinding or other measures.

Analysis on microseismic characteristics and stability of the access tunnel in the main powerhouse, Shuangjiangkou hydropower station, under high in situ stress

Access tunnel in the main powerhouse of Shuangjiangkou hydropower station was deep buried with high in situ stress and complex geological conditions. Microseismic monitoring technology was established to monitor microcrack evolution process inside the surrounding rock in early excavation stage. Serious falling blocks in the left spandrel of the tunnel were predicted in a timely manner by delimiting major damage areas in the tunnel. Based on comparative analysis on microseismic activity law and field failure characteristics of the access tunnel, a quantitative index was supposed between slight rockburst like falling blocks and microseismic events. Moreover, the change law of daily average apparent stress difference and b value were analyzed based on microseismic event data. In addition, a three-dimensional numerical simulation software (RFPA3D) was used to simulate the damage distribution around the tunnel, and a relationship between spatial position of tunnel damage and direction of the maximum principal stress was qualitatively analyzed. The study results showed that advance speed of the tunnel working face was an important factor affecting the state of stress redistribution in surrounding rock mass, and the change law of b values of microseismic events could be used to predict activity state inside the surrounding rock effectively, which reflected mechanical properties and stress state of surrounding rock. In particular, field falling blocks became more serious with increasing b value, and field surrounding rock was relatively stable with minor b value. A risk of surrounding rock instability was relatively high with small b values. It provided an efficient method of predicting and assessing slight rockburst like falling blocks. The study results can provide significant guidance for field construction and later construction planning.

On the Criticality Analysis of Computer Numerical Control Lathe Subsystems for Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance of machine tools is gaining wide attention in the manufacturing sector for achieving higher production rates and closer tolerance of machined parts. However, the implementation of predictive maintenance requires additional instrumentation and computation software, causing huge installation costs. Hence, the application of predictive maintenance is limited to the most critical subsystems of the machinery. The present investigation puts forward a scientific methodology to identify the subsystems of a computer numerical control (CNC) lathe that must be considered for predictive maintenance. The field failure data for CNC lathe collected from various industries are subjected to fuzzy modified failure mode, effects and criticality analysis (fuzzy FMECA). A unique fuzzy risk priority number (fuzzy RPN) is assigned to every subsystem of the CNC lathe. This fuzzy RPN is used to prepare a maintenance priority ranking of the CNC lathe subsystems. The subsystems with higher fuzzy RPN are considered for predictive maintenance, and the subsystems with lower fuzzy RPN are considered for preventive or reactive maintenance. It is observed that the spindle unit has the highest fuzzy RPN 848.2, followed by the turret and chuck with fuzzy RPNs 527.5 and 475.7, respectively. FMECA also identifies potential failure modes associated with critical subsystems. This information is necessary for sensor selection in predictive maintenance. Further, the improvement of fuzzy FMECA over conventional FMECA is discussed. This study paves a path for identifying and prioritizing the critical subsystems of a machine tool for predictive maintenance.

Iterative Diagnosis Approach for ECC-Based Memory Repair

In modern SoCs embedded memories should be protected by ECC against field failures to achieve acceptable reliability. They should also be repaired after fabrication to achieve acceptable fabrication yield, as well as during lifetime to increase lifespan. In technologies affected by high defect densities, conventional repair induces very high cost. To reduce it, in previous work we proposed the ECC-based repair scheme, consisting in using the ECC for fixing words comprising a single faulty cell, and self-repair to fix all other faulty words. This approach is of high interest for ultimate CMOS and post-CMOS technologies, where the defect densities are expected to increase significantly, and/or in very-low power designs as very-low voltage sharply increases defect densities. However, we showed recently that, for high defect densities the diagnosis circuitry required for ECC-based repair may induce large cost. In previous work we addressed this issue by means of a new family of memory test algorithms that exhibit the so-called single-read double-fault detection (SRDF) property. The SRDF algorithms resolve the diagnosis issue at no area cost. However, as they are complex and increase test length, in this paper we explore a new diagnosis approach using iterative test execution, which, together with the SRDF test algorithms, provide a set of options enabling efficient tradeoffs in terms of hardware and power costs, and test length.

Implementation of a Diagnostic-Concentration Bioassay for Detection of Susceptibility to Pyrethroids in Soybean Aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae).

Soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, remains the most economically damaging arthropod pest of soybean in the midwestern United States and southern Canada. Foliar applications of a limited number of insecticide modes of action have been the primary management tactic, and pyrethroid resistance was documented recently with full concentration-response leaf-dip and glass-vial bioassays. Full concentration-response bioassays can be cumbersome, and a more efficient assessment tool was needed. In this study, we implemented a diagnostic-concentration glass-vial bioassay using bifenthrin and λ-cyhalothrin. Bioassays were conducted with field-collected soybean aphid populations to assess the geographic extent and severity of resistance to pyrethroids. In 2017, 10 of 18 and 11 of 21 field populations tested with bifenthrin and λ-cyhalothrin, respectively, had mean proportion mortalities less than the susceptible laboratory population. In 2018, 17 of 23 and 13 of 23 field populations tested with bifenthrin and λ-cyhalothrin, respectively, had mean proportion mortalities less than the susceptible laboratory population. Populations collected after reported field failures of a pyrethroid insecticide generally had mean proportion mortalities less than the susceptible laboratory population. In both years, there was a strong correlation between chemistries, which suggests cross-resistance between these insecticides. The diagnostic-concentration glass-vial bioassays reported here will provide the foundation for an insecticide resistance monitoring program with the ability to determine practical levels and geographic extent of insecticide resistance.

A novel MTTF estimator and associated parameter estimation method on heavily censoring data

AbstractMany reliability and maintenance decision problems need to estimate mean‐time‐to‐failure (MTTF) of a particular product component and/or build its life distribution model as early as possible based on field failure data. The field failure data are often heavily censored. In this case, the exponential‐assumption–based method can considerably overestimate the MTTF, and the classical parameter estimation methods such as the maximum likelihood method (MLM) cannot provide robust estimates. This paper aims to address this issue through proposing a novel method to estimate the MTTF and life distribution parameters. The proposed method first derives a nonparametric estimator of MTTF based on the decomposition of the integral expression of the theoretical MTTF and sample statistical characteristics. The estimated MTTF is then combined with a two‐step single‐parameter MLM to estimate the distribution parameters. A numerical experiment is carried out, and a real‐world dataset is analyzed. The results show that the proposed method can provide accurate and robust estimates for the MTTF and distribution parameters. The method is applicable for any life distribution and offers practitioners an efficient tool for reliability analysis.