on Product Reliability

On November 24, 2000, PacifiCorp experienced a massive generator failure at its Hunter Power Plant in Castle Dale, Utah. Post-event inspection of the generator revealed a serious failure of the stator core—a cylindrical structure nearly 19 feet long and more than 16 feet across—which had partially melted. At the time, the generator was operating at its maximum capacity of 415 megawatts. Sparks and heavy arcing were observed before the unit tripped automatically, shutting the system down within 55 minutes.

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On September 11, 2001, terrorists crashed two hijacked commercial jets into the Twin Towers of New York City’s World Trade Center in a coordinated attack on this symbol of American financial power and influence. Remarkably, both towers survived the initial impact of Boeing 767 jets traveling at speeds in excess of 400 mph, and remained standing long enough for most occupants below the impact floors to escape.

The 110-story Twin Towers of the World Trade Center embodied many engineering advances. They were the first major structures to be designed using wind tunnel testing and digital computers, the first to use structural dampers, and, at the time, the tallest ever built.

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EPRI: The Electric Power Research Institute

How safe and reliable are America’s electric power plants?

In 1973 the United States Senate held hearings on the lack of research and development in the power industry. In response, U.S. electric utilities dedicated resources to develop a nonprofit center for research—The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). EPRI was mandated with gathering technical experts and members of the electric power industry to work collaboratively on solutions to the challenges of the electric power industry. Among EPRI’s first priorities was an assessment of the reliability of nuclear power facilities with respect to their design, operation, and maintenance.

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On April 13, 1992, water tore a 20-foot long hole through the wall of a tunnel 20 feet below the bed of the Chicago River, some 50 feet below downtown Chicago. Over 200 million gallons of water surged through an extensive series of underground tunnels, affecting over 30 major buildings including City Hall and the financial markets. Lower levels of major office high-rises held up to 40 feet of water, and the city center was evacuated out of fear that electrical or utility connection failures could endanger lives.

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On August 12, 1983, the crankshaft of one of the three emergency diesel generators at the yet-unopened Shoreham Nuclear Power Station snapped during testing. Inspections revealed cracks in the crankshafts of the two other diesels as well as other defects. Permission to perform low-power tests had been granted before the failure of the crankshaft, and two more years of subsequent analysis passed before permission was again granted. By the late 1980s, a conflict over the emergency evacuation plan was still delaying an operating license for the plant.

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With the 1980 X-Car series, General Motors introduced a new generation of front-wheel drive, fuel-efficient compact passenger cars. The letter X designated a generic chassis type that was manufactured into a particular model through styling and features. All X-Cars were tested and met all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, but during the development of the vehicles it was found that certain manual transmission X-Cars required more aggressive rear brake shoes to meet parking brake standards.

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The Hindenburg disaster, which occurred on May 6, 1937, at Naval Air Station Lakehurst in New Jersey, marked the end of the golden age of airship travel. This catastrophic event not only claimed 36 lives but also exposed significant design flaws and reliability issues in what was once considered a marvel of engineering.

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In the automotive industry, safety is paramount. Yet, even giants like Ford Motor Company can stumble when it comes to addressing critical safety concerns. The recent saga of Ford’s brake system issues serves as a stark reminder of the importance of corporate responsibility and the potential consequences of overlooking serious defects.

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The tragic crashes of the Boeing 737 Max serve as a stark reminder of the critical role reliability plays in engineering design and practice. These incidents, which occurred in October 2018 and March 2019, resulted in the loss of 346 lives and sent shockwaves through the aviation industry. The crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 were not mere accidents but the culmination of a series of engineering oversights, management decisions, and regulatory failures.

At the heart of these tragedies was a complex interplay of advanced technology and human factors. The Boeing 737 Max, designed to be more fuel-efficient than its predecessors, incorporated a new flight control system that would ultimately prove to be its Achilles’ heel. This system, known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), was intended to compensate for the aerodynamic changes resulting from the aircraft’s larger, more fuel-efficient engines. However, the MCAS relied heavily on data from a single sensor, creating a single point of failure that would have catastrophic consequences.

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As industries increasingly rely on complex electromechanical systems, the importance of Return Parts Analysis (RPA) cannot be overstated. This crucial process involves forensic examination of failed components to determine root causes and prevent future issues. Let’s explore why RPA is essential, particularly for components like valves, sensors, pumps, and electrical boards.

Return Parts Analysis provides invaluable insights into component failures, offering benefits that extend far beyond simple troubleshooting:

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In the automotive industry, particularly when dealing with electromechanical components, the validation process is a critical phase that ensures the safety, reliability, and performance of products before they reach the market. However, there is a growing trend among companies to avoid failures during this process, often leading to panic when they occur. This article explores why encountering failures during validation should be seen as a blessing rather than a disaster.

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Historical failure data is a goldmine of information for reliability engineers. It provides a window into the life cycle of products, revealing patterns and trends that can inform future designs and manufacturing processes. By analyzing this data, we can:

1. Identify common failure modes

2. Detect early life failures indicating quality or production issues

3. Determine the onset of wear-out stages

4. Predict time-to-failure for similar products

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