Concepts for Efficient Coupling of Thermal and Electrical Domains for Monitoring the Thermomechanical Degradation Behavior of Electronic Systems

This Paper introduces a simulation-driven framework that combines different modeling techniques into an integrated model of complex electronic systems used in automotive and railway applications. This paper addresses the need for integrating various software tools and simulation models, advancing towards a comprehensive digital twin of the physical system. It envisages monitoring, diagnostics, and prognostics of the condition, degradation, or abnormalities in the electronic system's behavior in the field. Key contributions include the integration of surrogate models-comprising datadriven models and reduced-order models of Finite Element (FE) models-into simulation models using the Functional Mock-up Interface (FMI) toolkit, significantly enhancing the functionality and flexibility of the digital twin. The framework utilizes hybrid approaches, combining physical models with these surrogate models. This approach is applied to a DC-DC converter circuit, where multiple physical domains, such as thermal and electrical, are coupled. Moreover, the functionality of the investigated circuit, as well as its degradation behavior under variable external thermal and electrical loads, is demonstrated. Finally, the framework is verified using an experimental test vehicle of the DC-DC-Converter.