Practical System Reliability

Learn how to model, predict, and manage system reliability/availability throughout the development life cycle Written by a panel of authors with a wealth of industry experience, the methods and concepts presented here give readers a solid understanding of modeling and managing system and software availability and reliability through the development of real applications and products. The modeling and prediction techniques and tools are customer-focused and data-driven, and are also aligned with industry standards (Telcordia, TL 9000, ISO, etc.). Readers will get a clear understanding about what real-world reliability and availability mean through step-by-step discussions of: System availability Conceptual model of reliability and availability Why availability varies between customers Modeling availability Estimating parameters and availability from field data Estimating input parameters from laboratory data Estimating input parameters in the architecture/design stage Prediction accuracy Connecting the dots This book can be used by system architects, engineers, and developers to better understand and manage the reliability/availability of their products; quality engineers to grasp how software and hardware quality relate to system availability; and engineering students as part of a short course on system availability and software reliability.

Reliability, Maintainability and Risk: Practical Methods for Engineers, Eighth Edition, discusses tools and techniques for reliable and safe engineering, and for optimizing maintenance strategies. It emphasizes the importance of using reliability techniques to identify and eliminate potential failures early in the design cycle. The focus is on techniques known as RAMS (reliability, availability, maintainability, and safety-integrity). The book is organized into five parts. Part 1 on reliability parameters and costs traces the history of reliability and safety technology and presents a cost-effective approach to quality, reliability, and safety. Part 2 deals with the interpretation of failure rates, while Part 3 focuses on the prediction of reliability and risk. Part 4 discusses design and assurance techniques; review and testing techniques; reliability growth modeling; field data collection and feedback; predicting and demonstrating repair times; quantified reliability maintenance; and systematic failures. Part 5 deals with legal, management and safety issues, such as project management, product liability, and safety legislation. 8th edition of this core reference for engineers who deal with the design or operation of any safety critical systems, processes or operations Answers the question: how can a defect that costs less than $1000 dollars to identify at the process design stage be prevented from escalating to a $100,000 field defect, or a $1m+ catastrophe Revised throughout, with new examples, and standards, including must have material on the new edition of global functional safety standard IEC 61508, which launches in 2010

A practical, hands-on approach to power distribution system reliability As power distribution systems age, the frequency and duration of consumer interruptions will increase significantly. Now more than ever, it is crucial for students and professionals in the electrical power industries to have a solid understanding of designing the reliable and cost-effective utility, industrial, and commercial power distribution systems needed to maintain life activities (e.g., computers, lighting, heating, cooling, etc.). This books fills the void in the literature by providing readers with everything they need to know to make the best design decisions for new and existing power distribution systems, as well as to make quantitative "cost vs. reliability" trade-off studies. Topical coverage includes: Engineering economics Reliability analysis of complex network configurations Designing reliability into industrial and commercial power systems Application of zone branch reliability methodology Equipment outage statistics Deterministic planning criteria Customer interruption for cost models for load-point reliability assessment Isolation and restoration procedures And much more Each chapter begins with an introduction and ends with a conclusion and a list of references for further reading. Additionally, the book contains actual utility and industrial power system design problems worked out with real examples, as well as additional problem sets and their solutions. Power Distribution System Reliability is essential reading for practicing engineers, researchers, technicians, and advanced undergraduate and graduate students in electrical power industries.

This classic textbook/reference contains a complete integration of the processes which influence quality and reliability in product specification, design, test, manufacture and support. Provides a step-by-step explanation of proven techniques for the development and production of reliable engineering equipment as well as details of the highly regarded work of Taguchi and Shainin. New to this edition: over 75 pages of self-assessment questions plus a revised bibliography and references. The book fulfills the requirements of the qualifying examinations in reliability engineering of the Institute of Quality Assurance, UK and the American Society of Quality Control.

A comprehensive introduction to reliability analysis. The first section provides a thorough but elementary prologue to reliability theory. The latter half comprises more advanced analytical tools including Markov processes, renewal theory, life data analysis, accelerated life testing and Bayesian reliability analysis. Features numerous worked examples. Each chapter concludes with a selection of problems plus additional material on applications.

Practical tools for analyzing, calculating, and reporting availability, reliability, and maintainability metrics Engineers in the telecommunications industry must be able to quantify system reliability and availability metrics for use in service level agreements, system design decisions, and daily operations. Increasing system complexity and software dependence require new, more sophisticated tools for system modeling and metric calculation than those available in the current literature. Telecommunications System Reliability Engineering, Theory, and Practice provides a background in reliability engineering theory as well as detailed sections discussing applications to fiber optic networks (earth station and space segment), microwave networks (long-haul, cellular backhaul and mobile wireless), satellite networks (teleport and VSAT), power systems (generators, commercial power and battery systems), facilities management, and software/firmware. Programming techniques and examples for simulation of the approaches presented are discussed throughout the book. This powerful resource: Acts as a comprehensive reference and textbook for analysis and design of highly reliable and available telecommunications systems Bridges the fields of system reliability theory, telecommunications system engineering, and computer programming Translates abstract reliability theory concepts into practical tools and techniques for technical managers, engineers and students Provides telecommunication engineers with a holistic understanding of system reliability theory, telecommunications system engineering, and reliability/risk analysis Telecommunications System Reliability Engineering, Theory, and Practice is a must-have guide for telecommunications engineers or engineering students planning to work in the field of telecommunications Telecommunications System Reliability Engineering, Theory, and Practice is a must-have guide for telecommunications engineers or engineering students planning to work in the field of telecommunications.

This textbook provides the tools for a modern post-graduate introductory course on system reliability theory. It focuses on probabilistic aspects of the theory, including recent results based on signatures, stochastic orders, aging classes, copulas and distortion (or aggregation) functions. The reader requires on an introductory knowledge on probability theory and mathematics. The book serves both for graduate students in mathematics and for engineering students in various disciplines as well as students learning survival analysis, network reliability or simple game theory. Included also are brief introductions to the basic aspects of lifetime modelling, stochastic comparisons, aging classes, mixtures and copula theory. The book develops this knowledge with worked examples and supplies code for the program R so that students can explore its lessons and techniques.

In today's sophisticated world, reliability stands as the ultimate arbiter of quality. An understanding of reliability and the ultimate compromise of failure is essential for determining the value of most modern products and absolutely critical to others, large or small. Whether lives are dependent on the performance of a heat shield or a chip in a