Software elements of a product or system take time to create. Thus re-using blocks of code developed for previous applications may save on development time. [Read more…]
Software Reuse Considerations
Basic Description of a Fault Tree Analysis
A fault tree analysis (FTA) is a logical, graphical diagram that starts with an unwanted, undesirable, or anomalous state of a system.
The diagram then lays out the many possible faults and combination of faults within the subsystems, components, assemblies, software, and parts comprising the system which may lead to the top level unwanted fault condition. [Read more…]
Material Selection and Reliability
Physical products are made up of materials.
The materials including metals, polymers, adhesives, and many others experience loads and stresses during assembly, transport, storage, and use.
Selecting the right materials such that they both meet the needs of the customer and are sufficiently reliable relies on understanding how the material will respond to the applied stresses over time.
As with parts selection, one way to determine if a material is suitable for your application and end use is to monitor the material’s performance over time in your products. The trouble is it also transfers the risk of failure (the unknown risk of failure) to the customer.
In many cases this is unacceptable. [Read more…]
Field Data Analysis First Look
Field data analysis starts with the collection of data.
In a previous article, we used a Nevada chart to gather the counts per month of field failure data. The chart also provides the necessary data to account for how many units have not failed as of yet.
The Nevada chart on its own is just a table of numbers and does not reveal patterns of the changing nature of failure rates over time. Are we experiencing early life failures or wear-out related failures?
We need to conduct some data analysis to learn what message the data contains. [Read more…]
Part Selection Process and Reliability
A product or system may fail for many different reasons.
One cause is a faulty part. A component is susceptible to failure when either improperly used in the design or is a damaged or flawed component. [Read more…]
Reliability Management & Risk
What is reliability management? Reliability Engineering? Would a product design or an organization benefit with a focus on reliability management and engineering? What is the value of a focus on reliability?
Any organization, that develops and produces products, has resource limits. It may be talent, capabilities, time, funding, or some combination of these.
Yet, the goal to create a product that meets customer expectations includes the concept of product reliability. The product should provide the expected functions over time, without failure. This expected product reliability occurs, even if the design requirements and advertising do not explicitly mention product reliability. [Read more…]
SOR 089 Define Availability Uptime and Reliability to Get Them Right
How to Build Your Influence as a Reliability Engineer
How to Build Your Influence as a Reliability Engineer
Good with data or failure analysis are elements of a great reliability engineer.
Another is the ability to influence. The perfect analysis and dynamic slide deck are not sufficient. You also must master the ability to persuade to influence.
10 Ways to Find Reliability Value
Most everyone agrees that improving a product or process reliability is a good thing. It’s good for customers, factories, and our business. And sometimes it’s difficult to answer the question,
‘What is the value of that reliability activity?’
What if your boss asks you what value you provide to the organization? Your answer may to harder to compose than you think.
How would you quantify your skills, experience, and knowledge and your role within the complex formal and informal working environments? [Read more…]
DFX as an Approach
When products were crafted one at a time, the design and manufacturing process was often done by the same person. The craftsman would design and build a chest of drawers or carriage.
Some trades would employ apprentices to learn the craft, which included design. Larger projects may include an architect or lead designer along with a team of engineers.
Yet the shop or site for the railroad engineer or bridge was not far allowing close communication between the ironsmith and design team. [Read more…]
5 Steps to Building a Reliability Culture
Reliability is not the sole responsibility of the reliability engineer but results from nearly everyone in an organization making decisions that move toward the desired product reliability performance.
As a reliability professional, I often find it necessary to explore ways to leverage my knowledge of these areas to change the culture within an organization to create a sustainable program that achieves reliable products time and again. [Read more…]
Descriptive Models of the Design Process
I’ve often said, “reliability occurs at the point of decision.”
At the point of design during the design process. At each and every decision.
The design team of engineers establishes the bulk of the reliability capability early in the design process. The team’s decisions about materials or shape, concerning inventions or outsourcing, about how and where to build the product, and many more decisions impact the final product’s reliability performance.
Reliability is designed into the product right from the start. [Read more…]
Show me the Data
Early in my career, I worked for an unreasonable person.
He wanted us, his engineering staff, to show him the data. He wanted us to gather, monitor, analyze and display data regularly. Anytime we needed approval, funding, or resources he wanted to see the data. [Read more…]
Understanding the Design Process
Let’s start by understanding the difference between engineers and engineering designers.
The work we do as reliability engineers may require a different approach when working with these different types of engineers. [Read more…]
The System Effectiveness Concept
Reliability is not the only concern when building a system.
Let’s consider a passenger car. Reliability refers to how often the car in the shop. How often we need to perform preventative or corrective maintenance. How often it fails. [Read more…]
