1. Issues, basic concepts and terminology reminders

Predictive and operational reliability and availability are major challenges for the competitiveness of industrial sectors using technical equipment. These performance indicators, measured over the lifetime of the equipment, depend to a large extent on the choice of materials used during the design phase. This phase must take account of operating, maintenance and environmental conditions, in order to select materials that ensure optimum service life. Knowledge of the fundamental failure mechanisms of materials is indispensable for establishing preventive and predictive maintenance programs, carrying out pre- and post-failure diagnostics, and providing a prognosis of equipment end-of-life. In addition, the development of advanced failure signature processing methods based on artificial intelligence is contributing to the development of CBM (Condition Based Monitoring) and PHM (Prognostics...