Course Information

► Course Code: IPE – 434

► Course Title:
“Reliability Engineering and Maintenance Management”
Credit Hours: 3.00 Credits (3 Hours / Week)
Class Schedule:
✔ Sunday (10.00 – 11.00 / 11.00 – 12.00)
✔ Wednesday (11.00 – 12.00)
✔ Thursday (11.00 – 12.00 / 12 – 1.00)
 Reference Books:

Textbooks Required:

1. Reliability Engineering –
By L. S. Srinath (4TH Edition), EWP Publisher.

2. Reliability Evaluation of Engineering Systems –

By Roy Billinton (2ND Edition), Springer Publisher.

Recommended Readings:

1. Reliability and Maintenance Engineering –

By R. C. Mishra (1ST Edition/ Reprint 2010), New-Age International Publisher.

2. Maintenance Planning and Control –

By Anthony Kelly (1ST Edition), EWP Pvt. Ltd. Publisher

 Date: July 22, 2020
Failure Data Analysis & Evaluation of the Reliability Functions
► In order to Evaluate the various Reliability functions and to illustrate the shape of typical functions
(various terminology of Probability distributions), experimental Failure-data (Life-test or
Survival-test results) are analyzed. By conducting field-failure data analysis –

✔ The pattern of failure can be obtained.

✔ The failure rate characteristics as a function of time (in reliability evaluation, the random variable is
frequently Time) can be identified.

✔ Various reliability functions namely Failure density function, Failure rate or Hazard rate,
Reliability or the Survivor function, and Probability of failure or Unreliability or the Cumulative
failure distribution function can be illustrated.
✔ A mathematical failure model can be formulated.
© Chow. M. Luthfur Rahman
 Various Reliability functions

► Failure density function (f):

✔ This is the ratio between the number of failures during a given time interval and the total number of items at
the beginning of the test (i.e., the total initial population).

✔ Failure density function, denoted by ‘f’ is also called the ratio part-failure rate.

✔ The total area under the failure density function must always be unity as indicated by the summation of the
appropriate values.

Failure rate or Hazard rate (λ):

✔ This is the ratio between the number of failures during a particular unit interval and the average number of
survivors (i.e., population) during that interval. Sometimes, the population at the beginning of the interval is
taken instead of the average population.

✔ The failure rate, denoted by ‘λ’ is also known as the Hazard rate. Sometimes, it is also called the
instantaneous failure rate or age specific failure rate.
 Various Reliability functions Continued….
► Hazard rate (λ):

✔ In terms of failure, the hazard rate (λ) is a measure of the rate at which failures occur. However, it is
not simply the number of failures that occur in a given time interval because this is dependent upon
the size of the sample being considered.

✔ The hazard rate, λ is dependent on the number of failures in a particular time period and the number
of components exposed to failure.

✔ In order to evaluate the hazard rate (λ), the number of failures must be related per unit to the
number of components that are exposed to failure giving the following definition of λ(t) -

λ(t) = Number of failures per unit time / Number of components exposed to failure

✔ Therefore, the failure density function and hazard rate are identical at t = 0 but only at this time.

© Chow. M. Luthfur Rahman

 Reliability or the Survivor function (R)

✔ This is the ratio of the number of survivors at any given time to the total number of items at the
beginning of the test (i.e., the total initial population).

✔ The reliability (i.e., the probability of success or the probability of surviving for at least the given
period of time) is also known as the Survivor function and is designated as R(t).

✔ This is the complementary value of the probability of failure and therefore the complementary
function of the Cumulative failure distribution function or Unreliability Q(t). In reliability
evaluation this complement is known as the survivor function, where - R(t) = 1-Q(t).

✔ Since the reliability factor decreases progressively and as all the components fail by the end of the
last test our, the corresponding reliability will be zero.

© Chow. M. Luthfur Rahman

 Probability of Failure or Unreliability (Q)
✔ This is the ratio of the cumulative number of failures, i.e., the number of units failed within a
certain time to the total initial population.

✔ This characteristic is therefore equivalent to the cumulative failure distribution function and is a
measure of the probability of failure as a function of time. This is also known as the Unreliability
factor, designated by Q(t).

✔ As t →∞ however, the probability of failure tends to unity as it is a certainty that the component or
system will fail given that the exposure time to failure is long enough.

✔ Since the survival and failure are complementary events, the sum of the reliability and unreliability
factors will obviously be equal to one, R(t) + Q(t) = 1.

✔ The derivative of the cumulative failure distribution, Q(t) gives a function which is equivalent to
the probability density function, and this is called the failure density function, f(t).

© Chow. M. Luthfur Rahman