on Product Reliability

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.

A short video defining accelerated life testing or ALT.

An introduction to ALT or 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. In short, it’s a way to accelerate time.

Some history:

The executives of the Powertrain Organization (transmissions, chassis, engines) wanted a methodology where teams (design engineering, manufacturing engineering, and production) could work on recurring chronic problems. In 1986, the assignment was given to develop a manual and a subsequent course that would achieve a new approach to solving identified engineering design and manufacturing problems.

A short video discussing the importance to engineering test data analysis of confidence intervals.

Probably every engineer has heard once in his experience terms FMEA and RCA.

What is FMEA?

FMEA is a systematic method for identifying and preventing potential failure modes in a product or process. It helps in proactively addressing failure risks, improving reliability, and enhancing safety. FMEA is crucial in various industries, including automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing, to ensure product quality and customer satisfaction.

A short video discussion how to design a test to estimate component life.

It seems a big misconception in different industries between those two terms “Reliability” and “Durability”. So, first thing first, I apply google research to find out what is definitions:

Reliability is defined as the probability that a product, system, or service will perform its intended function adequately for a specified period of time or will operate in a defined environment without failure. (Source American Society for Quality (ASQ))

Durability is the ability of a physical product to remain functional, without requiring excessive maintenance or repair, when faced with the challenges of normal operation over its design lifetime. (Source Wikipedia)