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A pump is a component, the impeller is a subcomponent. A condenser is a component, the tube sheet is a subcomponent. A concrete floor is a component, the reinforcing bars are subcomponents. A bumper assembly is a component, the U-clip that holds the bumper to the body is a subcomponent. The pipe in a pipeline is a subcomponent.
Analysis of failure is conducted at the subcomponent level. The subcomponent is generally a single material although exposed to multiple possible local environments. The LAM is used to organize the specific analyses of corrosion at locations on this subcomponent.
Once the analysis gets to the point of a subcomponent, it is possible to be specific about environments, materials, and modes of corrosion; at this juncture, it is possible to develop predictions for now well defined circumstances.
Lifetime Prediction, Roger W. Staehle, Adjunct Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Staehle Consulting Co.