8. Assessing Product Reliability

8.4.	Reliability Data Analysis

After you have obtained component or system reliability data, how do you fit life distribution models, reliability growth models, or acceleration models? How do you estimate failure rates or MTBF's and project component or system reliability at use conditions? This section answers these kinds of questions.

Detailed outline for Section 4

The detailed outline for section 4 follows. 

4. Reliability Data Analysis 

1. How do you estimate life distribution parameters from censored data? 
1. Graphical estimation 
2. Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) 
3. A Weibull MLE example 
2. How do you fit an acceleration model? 
1. Graphical estimation 
2. Maximum likelihood
3. Fitting models using degradation data instead of failures 
3. How do you project reliability at use conditions? 
4. How do you compare reliability between two or more populations? 
5. How do you fit system repair rate models?
1. Constant repair rate (HPP/Exponential) model
2. Power law (Duane) model 
3. Exponential law model
6. How do you estimate reliability using the Bayesian gamma prior model?