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 Outline
Fundamental Aspects
Additional Statistical Aspects
Life and Reliability Testing Plans
Availability and Maintainability
 Learning Objectives
When you have completed this chapter you should
be able to:
Know the definition of reliability and the
factors associated with it.
Know the various techniques to obtain reliability.
Understand the probability distributions, failure
curves, and reliability curves as a factor of time.
 Learning Objectives contd.
When you have completed this chapter you
should be able to:
Calculate the failure rate under different
conditions.
Construct the life history curve and describe
its three phases.
Calculate the normal, exponential, and
Weibull failure rate.
 Learning Objectives contd.
When you have completed this chapter you
should be able to:
Construct the OC Curve
Determine life and reliability test curves
Calculate the normal, exponential, and Weibull failure rate
Understand the different types of test design
Understand the concepts of availability and maintainability
 Reliability
Generally defined as the ability of a product
to perform as expected over time.
Formally defined as the probability that a
product, piece of equipment, or system will
perform its intended function for a stated
period of time under specified operating
conditions.
 Reliability
Means quality over the long run.
A product that works for a long
period of time is a reliable one.
Since all units of a product will fail at
different times, reliability is a
probability.
 Reliability

There are four factors associated with

Reliability:
1. Numerical Value.
The numerical value is the probability that
the product will function satisfactorily
during a particular time.
 Reliability
There are four factors associated with
Reliability:
2. Intended Function.
Product are designed for particular
applications and are expected to be able to
perform those applications.
 Reliability
There are four factors associated with
Reliability:
3. Life.
How long the product is expected to last.
Product life is specified as a function of usage,
time, or both.
 Reliability
There are four factors associated with
Reliability:
4. Environmental Conditions
Indoors.
Outdoors.
Storage.
Transportation.
1. Numerical Value. 10 years

2. Intended Function.

3. Life
4. Environmental Conditions

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 Achieving Reliability
Emphasis:
1. The Consumer Protection Act of 1972.
2. Products are more complicated.
3. Automation.
 System Reliability
As products become more complex (have
more components), the chance that they will
not function increases.
The method of arranging the components
affects the reliability of the entire system.
Components can be arranged in series,
parallel, or a combination.
 Series System
For a series systems, the reliability is the
product of the individual components.

1 2 n

RS = R1 R2 ... Rn

As components are added to the series, the

system reliability decreases.
 Parallel System
1
2

n Rs = 1 - (1 - R1) (1 - R2)... (1 - Rn)

When a component does not function, the product

continues to function, using another component,
until all parallel components do not function.
 Series-Parallel System
C
RA RB RD
RC
A B D
C
RC

Convert to equivalent series system

RA RB RD
A B C D

RC = 1 (1-RC)(1-RC)
 Design
The most important aspect of reliability is
the design.
It should be as simple as possible.
The fewer the number of components, the
greater the reliability.
Another way of achieving reliability is to
have a backup or redundant component
(parallel component).
 Design
Reliability can be achieved by overdesign.
The use of large factors of safety can increase
the reliability of a product.
When an unreliable product can lead to a
fatality or substantial financial loss, a fail-safe
type of device should be used.
The maintenance of the system is an important
factor in reliability.
 Production
The second most important aspect of
reliability is the production process.
Emphasis should be placed on those
components which are least reliable.
Production personnel.
 Transportation
The third most important aspect of
reliability is the transportation.
Packaging
Shipment
Performance of the product by the
customer is the final evaluation.
Good packaging techniques and shipment
evaluation are essential.
 Additional Statistical Aspects
Distributions Applicable to Reliability:
Exponential distribution.
Normal distribution.
Weibull distribution.
Reliability Curves:
The curves as a function of time.
 Additional Statistical Aspects
Reliability Curves:
The reliability curves for the exponential,
normal and Weibull distributions as a function
of time are given in Figure 11-2(b) .
 Additional Statistical Aspects
Failure-Rate Curve:
It is important in describing the life-history
curve of a product.
See Figure 11-2.

number of test failures r

est = =
sum of test times t + (n - r)T
 Life History Curve

The curve, sometimes referred to as the

bathtub curve, is a comparison of failure
rate with time.
It has three distinct phases:
The debugging phase.
The chance failure phase.
The wear-out phase.
 Life History Curve

Wear Out
Chance Failure Phase
Debugging
Infant Phase
Phase
mortality
period
 Life History Curve
1. The debugging phase:
It is characterized by marginal and short-life
parts that cause a rapid decrease in the
failure rate.
It may be part of the testing activity prior to
shipment for some products.
The Weibull distribution <1 is used to
describe the occurrence of failures.
 Life History Curve
2. The chance failure phase:
Failures occur in a random manner due to the
constant failure rate. The Exponential and the
Weibull distributions = 1 are best suited to
describe this phase.
3. The wear-out phase:
Is depicted by a sharp raise in failure rates. The
Normal distribution and the Weibull distribution
>1 are used to describe this phase.
 Normal Failure Analysis
The Weibull distribution is usually uses.
The Normal distribution.
t
R(t) = 1.0 - f(t)dt
0

R(t) = 1.0 - P(t)

R(t): Reliability at time t
P(t): Probability of failure or area of the normal
curve to the left of time t. Table A.
 Exponential Failure Analysis
Exponential distribution:

Rt = e t/

Where:
t: Time or cycles.
: Mean life.
 Weibull Failure Analysis
Can be used for the debugging phase (<1) and
the chance failure phase (=1).
By setting = 1, the Weibull equals the
exponential.
By setting =3.4, the Weibull approximates the
Normal.
Rt = e (t/)

Where is the Weibull slope.

 OC Curve Construction
Steps:
1. Assume values for the mean life .
2. These values are converted to the failure
rate, l =1/ .
3. Calculate the expected average number of
failures nTl.
4. From Table C of the Appendix using nTl
and c value, get Pa.
Life and Reliability Testing Plans
Type of Tests:
Failure-Terminated: These life-test sample
plans are terminated when a preassigned
number of failures occurs to the sample.
Time-Terminated: This life-test sampling plan
is terminated when the sample obtains a
predetermined test time.
Life and Reliability Testing Plans
Type of Tests contd.:
Sequential: A third type of life-testing
plan is a sequential life-test sampling
plan whereby neither the number of
failures nor the time required to reach
a decision are fixed in advance.
Life and Reliability Testing Plans
Tests are based on one or more of the
following characteristics:
Mean life: the average life of the
product.
Failure rate: the percentage of failures
per unit time or number of cycles.
Life and Reliability Testing Plans
Test are based on one or more of the
following characteristics contd.:
Hazard rate: the instantaneous failure rate
at a specified time.
Reliable life: the life beyond which some
specified portion of the items in the lot
will survive.
 Handbook H108
Quality Control Reliability Handbook H108
gives sampling procedures and tables for life
and reliability testing.
Sampling plans in the handbook are based on
the exponential distribution.
Provides for the three different types of test:
failure-terminated, time-terminated, and
sequential.
 Handbook H108
The handbook is over 70 pages long.
The time-terminated plan:
1. Stipulated producers risk, consumers risk,
and sample size.
2. Stipulated producers risk, rejection number,
and sample size.
3. Stipulated producers risk, consumers risk,
and test time.
 Reliability Management
Define customer performance requirements.
Determine important economic factors and
relationship with reliability requirements.
Define the environment and conditions of
product use.
 Reliability Management
Select components, designs, and
vendors that meet reliability and cost
criteria.
Determine reliability requirements
for machines and equipments.
Analyze field reliability for
improvement.
Availability and Maintainability

For long-lasting products and services such as

refrigerators, electric power lines, and front-
line services, the time-related factors of
availability, reliability, and maintainability are
interrelated.
 Availability
It is a time-related factor that measures
the ability of a product or service to
perform its designated function.
The product or service is available when
it is in the operational state, which
includes active and standby use.
 Availability
MTBF
A
MTBM MTDT
Where:
MTBM = mean time between
maintenance
MDT = mean down time
MTBF = mean time between failures
MTTR = mean time to repair
 Maintainability
Maintainability is the probability that a system
or product can be retained in, or one that has
failed can be restored to, operating condition
in a specified amount of time.
 Maintainability

Maintainability is the totality of design

factors that allows maintenance to be
accomplished easily.
Preventive maintenance (PM) reduces the
risk of failure.
Corrective maintenance(CM) is the
response to failures.
Thank you.