Arun Kumar Somani, U. R. Sandadi, D. Twigg, T. Sharma
{"title":"An efficient decomposition technique for Markov-chain analysis","authors":"Arun Kumar Somani, U. R. Sandadi, D. Twigg, T. Sharma","doi":"10.1109/RAMS.1995.513286","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAMS.1995.513286","url":null,"abstract":"A current trend in system design is to emphasize integration of various functionalities. This results in a complex environment to be handled by a fault tolerant system. The fault tolerance in the system is achieved by means of redundancy in the components, built in fault diagnosis, and sophisticated recovery/reconfiguration techniques. Reliability analysis of such systems is usually done using a Markov representation of the system. However, Markov chains tend to grow exponentially with the number of components, and beyond a certain size they become intractable. We propose techniques to manage the modeling of a class of systems by means of decomposing the system Markov chain into smaller Markov chains of manageable size. Our decomposition techniques facilitate modeling both repairable and nonrepairable systems with reduced complexity. These decomposition techniques are proved to be accurate analytically. The applicability of these schemes is shown through an example.","PeriodicalId":143102,"journal":{"name":"Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium 1995 Proceedings","volume":"14 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131513418","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An inspection model for automatic trips and warning instruments","authors":"D. Sherwin","doi":"10.1109/RAMS.1995.513257","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAMS.1995.513257","url":null,"abstract":"Automatic trips and warning instruments (TWI) protect important machines by shutting them down or warning the operators of impending serious failure. They are subject to hidden faults which must be discovered and corrected at frequent inspections, and spurious trips when the machine is stopped unnecessarily because of a fault in the TWI spurious trips may also be reduced by inspections. A Markov model is used to optimize the inspection rate with respect to costs on the assumption that inspection is a Poisson event. This simplifies the mathematics compared to a model with periodic inspections and is often just as close to the truth. An example is given involving gas-turbines in the off-shore oil industry. An extension of the model covers the case of 2-out-of-3 voting systems which are increasingly used to reduce the risks of both types of TWI failure. The optimizations are usually rather flat around the optimum, and inspections often have to fit in with operational needs, so approximate methods such as this are potentially very useful as the example illustrates.","PeriodicalId":143102,"journal":{"name":"Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium 1995 Proceedings","volume":"73 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115907253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dependency modeling of an avionics power-supply for testability analysis","authors":"M. A. Hinzmann","doi":"10.1109/RAMS.1995.513259","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAMS.1995.513259","url":null,"abstract":"Dependency modeling (DM) can be used to provide an accurate measure of the testability attributes of items ranging in complexity from individual circuit-cards to complete weapon systems. This paper presents a method for performing testability analysis on an avionics power supply (PS) using DM. The level of indenture used in the DM process is assessed, and limitations of the model are described. The testability analysis tool used to compute the testability figure of merit (TFOM) is the weapon system testability analyzer (WSTA). The results of the modeling effort provide a measure of the fault detection capabilities of the power supply. In addition to PS assessment, the DM process as defined herein provides the benefits of: (1) a structured approach to diagnostic predictions; (2) the ability to adapt the model to the level of detail desired; (3) integration of reliability, maintainability and supportability considerations in the analysis; and (4) a framework for both go-nogo and diagnostic test development.","PeriodicalId":143102,"journal":{"name":"Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium 1995 Proceedings","volume":"7 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132532964","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mass-transit system service quality: tradeoff analysis on reliability, maintainability and logistics","authors":"P. Dersin, J. Durand","doi":"10.1109/RAMS.1995.513293","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAMS.1995.513293","url":null,"abstract":"Service quality is influenced not only by intrinsic reliability and maintainability but also by logistical factors such as: the number of operations reserves of spare trains; the number of repair facilities; fleet size; average recovery times after perturbations; and spare parts. Operators are looking for service quality commitments from manufacturers. However, only intrinsic reliability and maintainability, and to some extent, service reliability, are determined by the manufacturer's design. This paper addresses quantitatively the dependence of service quality on intrinsic reliability and maintainability, and logistic variables. Analytical models, based on Markov chains, are used to derive the corresponding relationships. Sensitivity analyses can then be performed. Tradeoffs can be assessed quantitatively between several solutions for achieving a given service quality target at different costs. On the basis of such a tradeoff analysis. The effort toward a higher service quality can be guided in a life-cycle cost perspective. Also, reliability and maintainability apportionments can be performed which are derived from the service quality objective. Logistic parameters are seen to play a key part. Accordingly, the manufacturer which does not control maintenance may find it inappropriate to commit to a service quality level, but may commit, instead, to reliability and maintainability levels that, under precise assumptions on the logistics, result in the desired service quality.","PeriodicalId":143102,"journal":{"name":"Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium 1995 Proceedings","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115462423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A customer-oriented approach to optimizing reliability-allocation within a set of weapon-system requirements","authors":"J.J. Hadel, P. Lakey","doi":"10.1109/RAMS.1995.513229","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAMS.1995.513229","url":null,"abstract":"A systems engineering approach to weapon system requirements allocation demands that all system level performance requirements, including reliability, be flowed down and allocated to lower-level sub functions using a logical, structured methodology. Normally it is not in the customer's best interest to contractually specify MTBF design parameters developed from system requirements because such action borders on dictating hardware design solutions instead of focusing on communicating customer overall needs and desires to the development agency. Because of this, the requirements flowdown process appears to offer opportunities for multiple feasible solutions, all of which are capable of meeting the customer's top level requirements.","PeriodicalId":143102,"journal":{"name":"Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium 1995 Proceedings","volume":"313 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121293254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Consideration of component failure mechanisms in the reliability assessment of electronic equipment-addressing the constant failure rate assumption","authors":"D. Mortin, J. Krolewski, M. Cushing","doi":"10.1109/RAMS.1995.513224","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAMS.1995.513224","url":null,"abstract":"The assumption of the constant failure rate can lead to excessive costs and nonoptimum design decisions. As this paper shows, simply summing constant failure rates can produce results which are highly inaccurate. Highly inaccurate results can introduce significant error in decisions made in everything from product design to logistics support requirements such as spares and maintainers. The authors argue that if a shift is made from reliability accounting tasks to reliability engineering analysis, the ability to address hazard rates versus time based on root-cause failure mechanisms will become cost-effective and can become an integral part of the concurrent engineering approach to product development. The notion of the constant failure rate should no longer be accepted as a rule. Instead, statistical distributions and assumptions must be shown to be appropriate every time they are used. Simplicity alone is not a sufficient reason to use any given methodology or approach.","PeriodicalId":143102,"journal":{"name":"Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium 1995 Proceedings","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127939155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploratory research on nonthermal damage to electronics from fires and fire-suppression agents","authors":"F. Mowrer, M. Pecht","doi":"10.1109/RAMS.1995.513215","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAMS.1995.513215","url":null,"abstract":"Electronic equipment is expected to operate reliably under normal conditions as well as under foreseeable abnormal conditions, particularly in life-critical and environmentally sensitive applications. One foreseeable abnormal condition to which electronic equipment may be subjected at least once during its life-cycle is a fire environment. Such an environment may include the thermal and corrosive effects in the immediate vicinity of the fire and the nonthermal effects associated with smoke contamination, humidity and corrosion in remote locations. Direct thermal effects are generally so severe that reasonable remedial actions may not be feasible. Fortunately, such effects are frequently restricted to a fairly small zone, often through the use of automatic fire detection and suppression systems. On the other hand, the thermal decomposition products of smoke and fire suppression agents resulting from even a small fire may permeate a building and cause nonthermal damage to electronic equipment in locations remote from the actual fire. With ever-increasing reliance being placed on electronic equipment in all types of applications and the consequent increase in value concentrations, nonthermal damage from fires and fire suppression agents is a topic of growing interest. The purpose of this exploratory research is to characterize nonthermal damage mechanisms, consequences, and potential preventive and remedial actions using a physics-of-failure approach.","PeriodicalId":143102,"journal":{"name":"Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium 1995 Proceedings","volume":"37 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128358025","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Environmental stress screening strategies for multi-component systems with Weibull failure-times and imperfect failure detection","authors":"E. Pohl, D. Dietrich","doi":"10.1109/RAMS.1995.513250","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAMS.1995.513250","url":null,"abstract":"Environmental stress screening (ESS) is employed to reduce, if not eliminate, the occurrence of early field failures. In this paper, a general two-level ESS model is presented for a multi-component electronic system. Screening is performed at the component and unit level. Components and connections are assumed to come from good and substandard populations and their time-to-failure distributions are modeled with mixture distributions. ESS models currently found in the literature assume that time-to-failure distributions are mixtures of exponentials. This paper extends previous work by examining mixtures of Weibull distributions for all assembly levels. The mixed Weibull distribution is used to examine how screening strategies change when wear-out mechanisms are present, Also, this paper relaxes the assumption that all failures precipitated by the screening process are found before being used in subsequent assembly levels. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the screening model. Significant changes in screening strategies are found when the assumptions of perfect failure detection and exponentiality are relaxed.","PeriodicalId":143102,"journal":{"name":"Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium 1995 Proceedings","volume":"58 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126970882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Avoiding safety-management errors in the next generation","authors":"M. W. Hulet, C. W. Carroll","doi":"10.1109/RAMS.1995.513290","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAMS.1995.513290","url":null,"abstract":"This paper provides discussion items identifying safety management errors which should be unacceptable to safety management, particularly in the next generation due to the fact that the costs of noncompliance are simply too high. Safety management failures can be the final basis of program termination if there is a failure to properly analyze subsystems. Without the protection of proper hazard controls, catastrophic system failures may be the outcome. Some hazards slip through the cracks despite significant efforts to prevent it. However, it is the failure to apply acknowledged techniques in a proper and professional manner that should be totally unacceptable to safety managers, and will certainly be unacceptable to senior corporate managers in the next generation. Following the recommendations included in the paper could provide a reasonable means of assuring that frequent failures by safety management do not occur.","PeriodicalId":143102,"journal":{"name":"Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium 1995 Proceedings","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122574297","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Rationalizing scheduled-maintenance requirements using reliability centered maintenance-a Canadian Air Force perspective","authors":"L.J. Hollick, G. Nelson","doi":"10.1109/RAMS.1995.513217","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAMS.1995.513217","url":null,"abstract":"Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) and reliability centered maintenance (RCM)/maintenance steering group (MSG) decision logic have been successfully used by military and commercial aviation manufacturers for over three decades to develop preventive maintenance programs for new aircraft fleets. However, once a fleet is in place, there is a requirement to periodically validate or rationalize the applicability and effectiveness of individual tasks in the program, and to adjust task frequencies. Experience has shown that it is inefficient to re-apply FMEA/RCM decision logic to every aircraft item on a fixed frequency basis. This paper identifies how the Canadian Air Force (CAF) proposes to make more efficient and effective use of the in-service data it collects to identify those items for which the preventive maintenance requirement is ineffective or inapplicable. Moreover, it discusses how the same data source can be used in follow-up investigation to determine the actual failure mode history of an item as a basis for comparison with the FMEA-the basis upon which the requirement for the existing tasks is developed.","PeriodicalId":143102,"journal":{"name":"Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium 1995 Proceedings","volume":"72 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127832900","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}