RELIABILITY

Definition
• Reliability is defined as the probability that a given
product or a system will successively perform a
required function without break or failure under
specified environmental conditions, for a specified
period of time.

• That is, the reliability R(t) of a component(or a system)

at time t, is defined as R(t) = P(T>t), where T is the life
length of the component(or the system).

• R(t) is called the reliability function of time t.

R  t   P  T  t   1 – P T  t   1 – F  t  .
t t 
F (t )   f (t )dt , R(t )  1   f (t )dt   f (t )dt
0 0 t

d dR(t )
R(0)  1, R()  0 (i.e) 0  R(t )  1, F (t )  f (t ), f (t )  
dt dt
 f (t ) R(t )
 (t )  
R(t ) R(t )
t t


  ( t ) dt 
  ( t ) dt
R(t )  e 0
, f (t )   (t )e 0
• The expected value of the time to failure T,
denoted by E(T) and variance of T, denoted
by 2T are two important parameters
frequently used to characterise reliability.
E(T) is called mean time to failure and
denoted by MTTF.
  
MTTF  E (T )   t f (t )dt    t R (t )dt   R (t )dt.
0 0 0

Var (T )   T2   t 2 f (t )dt  ( MTTF ) 2
0
 • Conditional reliability is another concept useful to
describe the reliability of a component or system
following a wear –in period (burn in period) or after a
warranty period. It is defined as
T0 t


T0 t
  ( t ) dt
P{T  T0  t} R(T0  t ) e 0
   (t ) dt
R(t / T0 )  P{T  T0  t / T  T0 }    T0 e T0

P{T  T0 } R(T0 )    ( t ) dt
e0
 System Reliability
• Series configuration
• Parallel configuration
• Parallel series configuration
• Series parallel configuration
 Series configuration

• All components must function for the system

to function
• The failure of any component causes system
failure
 Parallel Configuration
• All components must fail for the system to fail
• If one or more components function, the
system continues to function
 Parallel Series Configuration
A system in which m subsystems are connected
in series where each subsystem has n
components connected in parallel.
 Series parallel configuration
A system in which m subsystems are connected
in parallel where each subsystem has n
components connected in series.
 Availability
The probability that a component (or system) is
performing its intended function at a given time
‘t’ on the assumption that it is operated and
maintained as per the prescribed conditions.
A(t)- point availability
t2
1
A(t 2  t1 ) 
t 2  t1  A(t )dt
t1
is called interval availability or mission
availability.
Steady state or asymptotic availability
The interval availability over the interval (0,T)
T
1
A(T ) 
T  A(t )dt
0

MTTF
A() 
MTTF  MTTR
 Note
λ- failure rate
µ- constant repair rate
 
A(t )   e (    )t

   (    )T
A(T )   [1  e ]
   (   ) T
2

1
 
A()  
1  1 
 