The Reliability Engineering Glossary
Reliability engineering and related fields use a vocabulary unique to our field of endeavor. For example, the term ‘reliability’ has the meaning of ‘trustworthy’ in everyday English use. For us, ‘reliability’ has a precise engineering definition.
Glossary description and plans
This glossary is meant to help us learn the language of reliability engineering. The category of ‘Terms’ is like a dictionary, including terms and their definitions as used by engineers. The category of ‘Methods’ is a listing of the techniques, tools, approaches, or concepts that may be found within a reliability plan. In the near future, we expect to expand the ‘Methods’ pages to include guidelines on use or application, examples, and additional references.
We also plan to expand the glossary to include formulas and failure mechanisms. Please let us know if there is another list of terms that should be added if you do not find a term that should be included or if you would like to recommend a change to an existing entry.
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- Condition-monitoring processIn current regulatory usage, a maintenance process characterized by the absence of scheduled-maintenance tasks. Items (including those with hidden functions) remain in service until a functional failure occurs, and analysis and surveillance programs monitor their overall reliability. Read More
- Conditional overhaulA maintenance practice for returning the time-since-overhaul measure to zero, in which the content of the work varies according to the condition of the unit when it arrives in the shop. This can be as little as a post-overhaul performance test or as much as complete disassembly and remanufacture. Read More
- Conditional probability of failureThe probability that an item will fail during a particular age interval, given that it survives to enter that interval. Read More
- Conductive materialA material with a surface of bulk resistance less than 1 × 10^4 ohms. (reference JESD652B 1/12) Read More
- Confidence intervalA range of values, calculated from sample data, that includes, with a (100 - α) degree of certainty, the population parameter of interest. α, called the Level of Significance, is the probability of committing a Type I error. Read More
- Conflict of interestA conflict between the private interests and the official responsibilities of a person in a position of trust. Read More
- ConformanceVerification of a product to an engineering specification. Read More
- ConformityThe fulfillment of a requirement. Read More
- Confounded"Term used to describe when the effects of two factors are not separable. Read More
- Confounded factorial designA factorial experiment that includes only a fraction of the treatment combinations run in each block. The selection of treatment combinations are assigned and arranged such that one or more prescribed effects are confounded with block effects. Other effects are not confounded. Read More
- ConfoundingThe combining of two or more factor effect such that the effects due to one of the effects is unknown (inseparable). Read More
- Consequences of failureThe results of a given functional failure at the equipment level and for the operating organization, classified in RCM analysis as safety consequences, operational consequences, nonoperational consequences, and hidden-failure consequences. Read More
- Consumer’s riskIn acceptance sampling, it is the probability of acceptance of a lot when it actually has a non-acceptable quality level. Based on the sample data the conclusion is a false acceptance. Often abbreviated as beta (β). Read More
- Consumer’s risk pointThe point on a specific operating characteristic curve that represents a predetermined low probability of acceptance. Read More
- Consumer’s risk qualityThe lot or process quality level that corresponds to a specific consumer’s risk for a specific acceptance sampling plan. Read More
- ContainmentAn interim action(s) to minimize effects on customers of defects until corrective action(s) are implemented. Read More
- ContaminationThe act of rendering an item unfit for use by the introduction or deposition of unwholesome or undesirable, usually foreign, elements. Read More
- ContingencyAn off-nominal situation that is identified in the hazard analysis process and has a preplanned response to mitigate the risks to crew and/or vehicle. Read More
- Continuous flow manufacturing (CFM)Material moving one piece at a time, at a rate determined by the needs of the customer, in an uninterrupted sequence. Read More
- Continuous improvementA recurring activity that enhances performance. Example activities include: statistical process control (SPC), Fishbone (Ishikawa) diagrams, designed experiments (DOE), etc. Read More
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