Automotive Sensor Materials Testing
Automotive Sensor Materials Testing & Failure Analysis
A modern vehicle carries well over a hundred sensors, from pressure and temperature elements to wheel-speed, oxygen, radar and camera modules. Most sensor failures are not electronic design faults. They are materials problems: a cracked solder joint, a corroded contact, a degraded encapsulant or a housing polymer that ages faster than expected. Genuine Testing analyses the materials, joints and finishes inside automotive sensors and sensor assemblies. We help engineers benchmark competitor designs, qualify materials and find the root cause when sensors fail in test or in the field. Scope note: our work is materials and failure analysis. We do not perform electrical calibration, EMC or functional signal testing.Genuine Testing is an independent materials testing laboratory. We analyse the parts, panels, cut sections and assemblies you supply or remove during a teardown, and report material grade, composition, coating, joining quality, microstructure and mechanical performance part by part. Our results give design, purchasing and quality teams evidence they can compare directly against their own components.
What We Test in Automotive Sensors
Housings, Seals and Connectors
Sensor housings and connectors are typically engineered polymers, and seals are elastomers. We identify polymer type, glass or mineral fillers and additive systems, and evaluate ageing resistance. Relevant capabilities include plastics and polymers testing, plastics performance testing and elastomer and rubber testing.
Encapsulants, Potting and Adhesives
Potting compounds and adhesives protect electronics from moisture and vibration. We identify the chemistry with FTIR, DSC and TGA and look for voids, delamination and incomplete cure. See chemical analysis and adhesives and rubbers testing.
Solder Joints and Interconnects
Cross-sections examined by SEM with EDS reveal intermetallic layer thickness, cracking, voiding and contamination at solder joints and bond interfaces. This work uses our advanced microscopy laboratory and supports the electronic and functional materials programme.
Contacts, Plating and Terminals
Fretting, corrosion and plating wear cause intermittent faults. We measure plating thickness, examine contact surfaces and analyse corrosion products. See surface analysis and corrosion testing.
Sensing Elements and Metal Parts
Diaphragms, springs and metal housings are checked for alloy identity, hardness and microstructure through metallurgical analysis.
Contamination
Unexpected residues from manufacturing or the environment can cause drift or leakage. Our contaminant identification service identifies them and traces likely sources.
Environmental Exposure and Reliability Evaluation
Sensors face temperature extremes, humidity, road salt and chemical splash. Through environmental stress testing we expose samples to defined thermal, humidity and salt-fog conditions, then re-examine materials and joints to see what changed. Results show which materials and joints degrade first.
Sensor Failure Analysis
When a sensor fails, we work backward from the failed unit:
- Document the failure condition and operating history
- Examine externally and section the unit without destroying evidence
- Analyse joints, materials and contamination at the failure site
- Report the root cause and suggest corrective action
Our wider failure analysis service applies the same approach to any component.
Sensor Benchmarking
Teams comparing sensor designs use our analysis to see which polymers, platings, joints and encapsulants competitors choose. This extends our automotive benchmarking and teardown testing service to the electronics level.
What You Receive
- Material identification for housings, seals, encapsulants and adhesives
- Annotated cross-section images of joints and interconnects
- Plating and coating thickness data
- Exposure test results with before-and-after comparison
- Root-cause findings for failed units, with method references
Frequently Asked Questions
No. We analyse the materials, joints and finishes in a sensor, plus failure mechanisms and environmental ageing. Electrical calibration and signal testing should be done by a specialist test house, and our findings can be shared with them.
Often, yes. By sectioning the unit and examining solder joints, contacts, encapsulants and contamination, we can usually identify the materials-related mechanism that caused the fault and recommend a corrective action.
We identify housing and connector polymers, seal elastomers, potting compounds, adhesives, solder alloys, platings and metal parts, using FTIR, thermal analysis, SEM-EDS and composition analysis.
Yes. We expose samples to defined environmental conditions and then examine joints, contacts and materials for corrosion, cracking or swelling, so you can see exactly what the exposure changed.