The temperature spectrum of an automotive environment is a necessary input to predict thermal fatigue life, to estimate product reliability, and to specify accelerated thermal cycle testing for automotive components. This paper investigates the temperature profiles of electronic products located in the engine compartment (EC), the engine-mounted (EM) area, and the passenger/luggage (P/L) compartment, and develops the nominal temperature spectrums for these vehicle locations. The daily climatic temperatures of various geographical areas in the U.S. are analyzed. The effects of sun exposure and operational heat dissipation on the maximum temperature in three vehicle compartments are investigated. Due to the proportionality of mechanical stress/strain ranges and temperature ranges, the temperature spectrums are constructed by using the rainflow method for fatigue cycle counting.

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