The University of Queensland Department of Mechanical Engineering MECH3650: RELIABILITY AND MAINTENANCE [Semester II -- 2003] ASSIGNMENT # 1

Question 1: (a) Decompose an electric toaster in terms of its components. (b) How would you define satisfactory performance of a toaster? (c) Discuss the possible failure modes for a toaster. (d) How would you classify the different failures in terms of the severity classification discussed in the lecture? Question 2: (a) What is meant by product life cycle? (b) Discuss the reliability of toaster in the context of product life cycle. (c) Discuss the implications of poor toaster reliability from a manufacturers viewpoint. (d) What type of decisions does the manufacturer needs to make in the context of toaster reliability? Question 3: Discuss briefly the issues relating to (a) Reliability engineering, and (b) Post-sale service, in the context of developing and marketing a new complex product (eg., a new car engine). Question 4: (a) Discuss the different types (technical and commercial) of data relevant to the study of product reliability. (b) What type of scales would you use for measuring each of the different data that you have listed in (a)? (c) What type of statistical analysis would you use for the different data sets in (b)?

Question 5: (a) What is meant by descriptive statistics? (b) The lifetimes (in days) of 12 items, based on laboratory testing, are as follows: 10.2 41.2 89.6 0.8 54.0 73.2 96.0 3.6 23.3 28.0 30.4 31.6

Carry out a preliminary statistical analysis of this data. Discuss any interesting feature of the analysis. Question 6: The times to breakdown for a small electric motor are as follows: 194.90 17.05 139.07 144.12 43.40 22.66 7.74 47.30 64.78 175.88 47.30 58.95 21.02 20.46 86.87

Carry out a preliminary statistical analysis of this data. Discuss any interesting feature of the analysis. Question 7 The product under consideration is an electric battery for use in cars. It is sold through a chain of dealers. What kind of data (technical and commercial) should the dealers be collecting? How should the manufacturer use this data for an effective reliability management system? Question 8 Select a product of product that you are familiar with and discuss its reliability from the manufacturer and buyer perspectives. Note: Relevant chapters of Blischke and Murthy for this assignment are Chapters 1 and 3. Due on August 29, 2003