Psychology and Reliability
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss the psychology behind (bad) reliability decisions. Humans run (and ruin) everything!
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SOR 1072 Psychology and Reliability
SOR 1065 Fault Tree Analysis
Fault Tree Analysis
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss the basics and uses of fault tree analysis. Chances are that if you have been taught about fault trees, it was for only one of the many ways you could use them.
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What is Weibull Probability Plotting?
What is Weibull Probability Plotting?
podcast episode with speaker Chris Jackson
Weibull probability plotting is perhaps the most widespread data analysis tool used in reliability and quality engineering. Some of you might have used it. Some of you might know that it ‘magically’ creates straight lines out of failure data, and the slope and location of that straight line … sort of means something. Good reliability engineers know what these straight lines mean, what it means if the lines aren’t straight, can do things like look at these lines to optimize maintenance regimes, work out if we quality control issues (or not), and lots of other things. And the good news is … if you know how to use Weibull probability plotting – you don’t need to use complex equations!
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SOR 1064 Dismissing Failures
Dismissing Failures
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss a common problem of dismissing or ignoring failures, especially when they don’t fit your ‘profile.’
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SOR 1060 Excessive Starts and Stops Modeling
Excessive Starts and Stops Modeling
Abstract
Chris and Fred respond to a question asked by one of our listeners … who is wondering about the number of ‘starts’ and ‘stops’ on electrical and mechanical systems when it comes to characterizing reliability.
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SOR 1059 EV Battery Life
EV Battery Life
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss the long-term life of electric vehicles (EVs) and other rechargeable batteries, which tend to be longer than predicted. Why?
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SOR 1057 Intermittent Failure During a Test
Intermittent Failure During a Test
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss how you analyze the failure data from a test … where failure is sometimes intermittent?
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SOR 1056 Is a PhD Worth It?
Is a PhD Worth It?
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss the importance (or lack thereof) of having a PhD in reliability engineering. Is it worth it?
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What are ‘Cut Sets’?
What are ‘Cut Sets’?
podcast episode with speaker Chris Jackson
Reliability engineers are often taught about ‘cut sets.’ But we rarely use them. Many reliability engineers don’t know what they are. But they are also in lots of textbooks as if they are really important. So what are they? The good news is that they are pretty simple to understand. The bad news is that they can be difficult to find. Mercifully, they are mainly used by computers who do the hard work of calculating system reliability for us. So knowing what ‘cut sets’ are can be really informative … even if you don’t use them every day.
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SOR 1048 Why Set a Reliability Goal
Why Set a Reliability Goal
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss the importance of (trying to) set a reliability goal. Simple … right?
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Confidence is a Measure of You (not our product)
Confidence is a Measure of You (not our product)
podcast episode with speaker Chris Jackson
We like to think that we make decisions based on the information we have available to us. We don’t. We instead make decisions based on emotions. And the most dominant emotion we rely upon when making a decision is confidence. You can have all the information in the world, but if you don’t understand it, don’t trust it, or otherwise don’t believe in it, then you won’t have the confidence to make the right decision. And we often try and generate ‘false’ confidence by having lots of clauses in contracts, schedule lots of tests, and demand people comply with standards. But the confidence these things create is a façade that quickly gets broken down when our products don’t meet our expectations. Want to understand the only way you should be generating confidence when it comes to reliability engineering? Join us for this webinar! [Read more…]
SOR 1047 Review of RAMS 2025
Review of RAMS 2025
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss the success or otherwise of the Reliability and Maintainability Symposium (RAMS) 2025 … with a focus on AI. What are your thoughts?
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What is the Lognormal Distribution and How does it Help Me
What is the Lognormal Distribution and How does it Help Me
podcast episode with speaker Chris Jackson
Some of you might have heard of the ‘bell curve.’ Some of you might have heard that the ‘bell curve’ is sometimes called the ‘normal distribution.’ There is a reason it is called normal … but that is not always obvious. But then there is the ‘lognormal distribution.’ What is this? … and how does it relate back to the ‘bell curve?’ There is a really good reason for this link. And the good thing is that all you need is just a little bit of knowledge about how something breaks (and is repaired) to help use the lognormal distribution to help you make lots of important decisions … easily!
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SOR 1032 Available Reliability Information
Available Reliability Information
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss how to deal with trying to find ‘reliability characteristics’ when you don’t have a lot of information. Sound familiar?
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SOR 1031 Warranty Analysis for Repairable Systems
Warranty Analysis for Repairable Systems
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss how we do warranty analysis … which usually means trying to understand how many things fail during a warranty period (before you need to start paying for it …) Where do you start?
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