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.
Method Categories
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- Administrative timeThat element of delay time, not included in the supply delay time. Read More
- Advanced product quality planning and control plan (APQP)A comprehensive system for quality planning and control including quality tools and protocols covering product and process design & development, verification & validation, assessment, and preventative & corrective actions. Also called advanced quality planning (AQP). Read More
- Adverse eventHealthcare term for any event that is not consistent with the desired, normal or usual operation of the organization. Read More
- AdvisoryA message that indicates a safe or normal configuration, indicates safe or normal operation of essential equipment, or imparts information for routine action purposes. Read More
- AffectObservable behavior that represents the expression of a subjectively experienced feeling state (mood, morale). Common examples of affect are sadness, fear, joy, and anger. The normal range of expressed affect varies considerably between different cultures and even within the same culture. Read More
- Affinity diagramA management tool for organizing information (usually gathered during a brainstorming activity). Read More
- The measure of a unit’s total exposure to stress, expressed as the number of operating hours, flight cycles, or other stress units since new or since the last shop visit. Read More
- Age at failureThe age at which the failure of a specific unit of an item is observed and reported. Read More
- Age explorationThe process of collecting and analyzing information from in-service equipment to determine the reliability characteristics of each item under actual operating conditions. Read More
- Age-reliability characteristicsThe characteristics exhibited by the conditional probability curve represent the relationship between the operating age of an item and its probability of failure. Read More
- Alert TimeThat time during which a product is immediately ready to perform its function or mission if required. No maintenance or other activities that would impede or slow the start of the function or mission is permitted. Read More
- AlgorithmA self-contained sequence of actions to solve a problem. Read More
- AliasIn experimental design it is a factor effect, which is equal to another factor effect, or a function of other factor effects. Read More
- AlignmentPerformance of the adjustments necessary to return an item to specified operation. The actions to ensure a process or activity supports the organization’s strategy, goals, and objectives. Read More
- Alignment, shaftThe process of aligning two or more shafts (rotational centerlines are collinear) with each other to within a tolerated margin. Read More
- AlkalineA material with a pH greater than 7.0, in concentration cause caustic (chemical) burns, in solution are slippery or soapy to the touch, normally water-soluble. Read More
- Allocated itemIn CMMS or related systems for spare management, an item has been designed for a specific kit of items for a maintenance job and has not yet left the storeroom. Read More
- Alpha testingA form of verification testing accomplished by providing late-stage prototypes or pre-release production units to employees to use under normal conditions with an obligation to provide feedback and defect reporting. Read More
- Alternative hypothesisThis is the state of the system or material that the testing is attempting to prove is true, by demonstrating the null hypothesis is not true with sufficient evidence. Part of statistical hypothesis testing. Read More
- Aluminum Stress MigrationA failure mechanism in semiconductor devices. The term stress migration describes the movement of metal atoms under the influence of mechanical stress gradients. Generally, stress gradients can be assumed to be proportional to the applied mechanical stress. Vacancies diffuse from sites of(...) Read More
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