Articles

Find all articles across all article series listed in reverse chronological order.

by Kirk Gray Leave a Comment

Thermal HALT

A Tool for the Discovery of Signal Integrity and Software Reliability Issues

Abstract—Failures in the execution of software can have many different causes. Errors in coding, incorrect sequence of software execution, and other factors result in software “bugs” that, when discovered, must be corrected for reliable system operation. However, this paper focuses on another cause of software failures: those that come from variations in the many tiers of component manufacturing and system assembly. This paper shows how applying thermal HALT on electronic circuits, and systems helps skew parametric performance at the circuit board and system levels and increase the probability of discovering marginal signal quality and integrity, which can lead to software operational failures.

by Christopher Jackson Leave a Comment

Why don’t LED Lightbulbs last as long as they say they will?

Why don’t LED Lightbulbs last as long as they say they will?

Because the people that make them lie.

Not ‘obvious’ lying where lightbulb manufacturers calculate one reliability number and deliberately choose to put another number on their lightbulb packaging. But ‘insidious’ lying where they deliberately choose to measure the wrong thing to get a better number.

by JD Solomon Leave a Comment

Six Ways Soft Skills Matter for Engineers and Technologists

Six Ways Soft Skills Matter for Engineers and Technologists

A professional colleague recently asked me how much technical knowledge someone should have before giving a presentation to senior management. My two-part answer was, “Twenty-five percent of what they know, and soft skills are as important as the facts they know.” Here’s six ways soft skills matter for engineers, technologists, and reliability professionals.

by Semion Gengrinovich Leave a Comment

Test Design for Component Life

Test Design for Component Life

Designing a proper test for the life of an electromechanical compoent involves several steps and considerations. Here are six steps that provides an outline to create a meaningful component life test.

by Debasmita Mukherjee Leave a Comment

Reliability Block Diagram Fundamentals

Reliability Block Diagram Fundamentals

Basic Definitions

Reliability: Ability to provide continuous and stable system/component function under defined operating conditions without failure(s).
Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF): Average expected time interval between failures. Often a measure of reliability.
- Failure Rate is the expected no. of failures over a period of time. MTBF is the inverse of failure rate.
Availability: Percentage of time a system or component can perform its intended function without failure.
- Key aspects involve individual component reliability, system architecture, redundancy, and implementation of control strategies to ensure uninterrupted service.
- Availability = Uptime/(Total Operation Time) = MTBF/(MTBF+MTTR), MTTR is a measure of time to repair the system/component
- For example, 99.999% (5-9’s of availability) -> 5 min downtime in one year
Reliability Block Diagram: Reliability Block Diagram (RBD) is a graphical representation used to model reliability in complex systems. Illustrates interconnections between various components or subsystems within a system.

by Mike Sondalini Leave a Comment

Lifetime Reliability Solutions Change To Win Workbook

Lifetime Reliability Solutions Change To Win Workbook

Change To Win Process

‘Change To Win’ is a structured change management program used to introduce needed changes, best practices and innovative improvements into an organisation. A ‘Change To Win’ team consisting of managers, supervisors and people from the workplace is assembled to implement the changes and is responsible to plan how the organisation will adopt the changes, to trial them and then implement them into standard practice.

by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment

Asbestos Legacy in Canada

Asbestos Legacy in Canada

Guest Post by Bill Pomfret (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)

20 years ago, I wrote extensively, and held a rally on Parliament hill regarding the two-faced Canadian Government and Asbestos. At that time, I had just visited India, where I witnessed Canadian Asbestos being unloaded from Vessels, with workers wearing only flip flops and loin cloths using large hooks to grab the bales.

by Hemant Urdhwareshe Leave a Comment

Central Limit Theorem: Concepts and Simulation

Central Limit Theorem: Concepts and Simulation

Dear Friends, I am happy to release this video on a very important and fundamental statistical concept of Central Limit Theorem (CLT). The CLT forms basic for statistical control charts, hypothesis tests, ANOVA etc. I am sure, you will find the video useful!

by Larry George Leave a Comment

Fred’s Bicycles and Kaplan-Meier Error?

Fred’s Bicycles and Kaplan-Meier Error?

The Kaplan-Meier reliability estimator errs on Fred’s bicycle ships and failure data! The Kaplan-Meier estimate was computed from Fred’s bicycles’ grouped failure data in the body of a “Nevada” table. It disagrees with the reliability estimate from ships cohorts and monthly failures (without knowing which cohort the failures came from). It disagrees with least squares nonparametric reliability estimates. All but the Kaplan-Meier estimate agree! Which would you prefer?

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

SPC Q&A part 2

Favorite Questions and Answers from my Course “Statistical Process Control (SPC) Using Microsoft Excel”, Pt 2

In this second installment of my three-part article series, I am again showcasing some of my favorite student questions from the past seven years since first launching my online class titled “Statistical Process Control (SPC) Using Microsoft Excel.”

Each exchange represents not only the question in that student’s mind, but the type of question that lingers the minds of countless professionals trying to advance their skillsets. Each exchange – some of which I edited for clarity – become a permanent part of the class itself that future students can read and learn from. Perhaps you’ve had some of these questions as well.

by George Williams Leave a Comment

Defender of Assets

Defender of Assets

Webinar recording from 1/18/2024 as we discuss how to ensure we see the value from our assets by defending them, having the right strategy and people to ensure they run reliably.

by Nancy Regan Leave a Comment

What a Sniffer Dog Taught me About Reliability

What a Sniffer Dog Taught me About Reliability

In this video, I’m sharing an unexpected lesson in Reliability inspired by a highly trained Labrador Retriever at Melbourne Australia’s airport. While traveling to the Mainstream Conference in Melbourne, I encountered a situation at immigration that reminded me of the principles of Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM). Join me as I discuss how the training and care that made this dog so effective can inspire us to do the same for our machines so we can achieve the Reliability we require. Plus, I’ll explore why it’s crucial to ensure our equipment isn’t pushed beyond its capabilities. Let’s dive into the heart of reliability together!

by Debasmita Mukherjee Leave a Comment

One-sample t-test

One-sample t-test

A one-sample t-test is a statistical test to determine if the sample mean differs significantly from a known or hypothesized population mean (expected value). It is commonly used when we have a single sample and want to compare its average to an expected value.

by Semion Gengrinovich Leave a Comment

What is ALT? Models

What is ALT? Models

Introduction in ALT:

Accelerated life testing (ALT) is a method used to enhance product reliability by subjecting prototypes to stress levels significantly higher than those encountered in actual use.

By increasing the stress on the component, failure is induced more rapidly, which is equivalent to speeding up the passage of time. This approach is particularly useful when waiting for failures to occur at their normal rate is not feasible, such as when a manufacturer needs to release a product to the market soon and cannot afford to spend several years performing a reliability test.

by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment

If a ‘Yes’ is not a ‘Yes’ — It Is a Risk

If a ‘Yes’ is not a ‘Yes’ — It Is a Risk

Guest Post by Malcolm Peart (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)

Yes…is that a ‘yes’ in that something is correct and there is affirmation of acceptance? Or is it “yes?” in response to having one’s attention attracted, or “yes?” as a question as to how something should be done or “yes” affirming one’s agreement regarding a decision on a particular course of action. Not all yeses mean the same.

How often though do we hear the word ‘yes’ and assume it’s what we would like it to mean. Many take ‘yes’ to mean that there is agreement with what has been said and a positive alignment with their way of thinking or writing and the course of action to be taken. But that’s not entirely so.