4S-1
Learning Objectives
Define reliability
Perform reliability computations
Explain the purpose of redundancy in a
system
4S-2
Reliability
Reliability: The ability of a product, part,
or system to perform its intended
function under a prescribed set of
conditions
Failure: Situation in which a product,
part, or system does not perform as
intended
Normal operating conditions:The set
of conditions under which an item’s
reliability is specified
4S-3
Probability that the product or system
will:
Function when activated
Function for a given length of time
Independent events
Events whose occurrence or
nonoccurrence do not influence each other
Redundancy
The use of backup components to increase
reliability
Reliability is a Probability
Series Systems (Example)
15
So a two component series system with failure
rates of 0.001 and 0.004 per hour:
R
s(T) = e
-(0.004+0.001)T
e
-0.005T
The probability of survivalfor 100 hours would
be:
R
s(100) = e
-0.005(100)
e
-0.5
0.6065 or
60.65%
Parallel Systems
16
R
S= 1 -(1 -R
1)*(1 -R
2)...*(1 -R
n)
1
2
n
Series-Parallel Systems
Convert to equivalent series system
17
A B
C
C
D
R
A R
B
R
C
R
D
R
C
A B C’ D
R
A R
B R
D
R
C’= 1 –(1-R
C)(1-R
C)
Reliability Engineering
Standardization (Certified
Components)
Redundancy (Series systems vs.
Parallel)
Physics of failure (Weathering)
Reliability testing
Accelerated life testing
Burn-in
Component Stress Testing
Infant Mortality Periods
18
4S-22
Example S-1 Reliability
Determine the reliability of the system shown
.98 .90
.90 .92
.95
4S-23
Example S-1 Solution
The system can be reduced to a series of three
components
.98 .90+.90(1-.90) .95+.92(1-.95)
.98 x .99 x .996 = .966
4S-24
Failure Rate
Figure 4S.1
Few (random) failures
Infant
mortality
Failures due
to wear-out
Time, T
Failure Rate
4S-25
Normal Distribution
Reliability
0 z
Figure 4S.3
4S-26
Availability
The fraction of time a piece of equipment
is expected to be available for operationAvailability
MTBF
MTBFMTR
MTBF = mean time between failures
MTR = mean time to repair
Availability
availability
27MTRMTBF
MTBF
A
O
MTBF = mean time between
failures
MTR = mean time to repair