What is Reliability Engineering?

Reliability engineering is a specialized field within systems engineering that focuses on ensuring the ability of equipment to function without failure over a specified period of time. It emphasizes preventing or reducing the likelihood of failures, identifying and correcting causes of failures, and estimating the reliability of new designs. Reliability is closely related to availability, which refers to the ability of a component or system to function at a specified moment or interval of time.

Objectives of Reliability Engineering

1. Prevent Failures: Applying engineering knowledge and techniques to prevent or reduce the frequency of failures.
2. Correct Causes: Identifying and correcting the causes of failures that occur despite prevention efforts.
3. Cope with Failures: Determining ways to manage failures that do occur.
4. Estimate Reliability: Using methods to estimate the likely reliability of new designs and analyze reliability data
   
   
   .

Basics of Reliability Assessment

Reliability is defined as the ability of a component or system to meet performance standards over a specified period under normal operating conditions. It involves calculating the probability that a system will work properly after a certain number of hours or days of use. Reliability should not be confused with durability, quality, or availability, as each concept has distinct characteristics and focuses.

Common Tools and Techniques in Reliability Engineering

• Physics of Failure (PoF)
• Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
• Fault Tree Analysis
• Root Cause Analysis
• Statistical Engineering
• Accelerated Testing
• Reliability Growth Analysis
• Dynamic Reliability Block-Diagram Analysis
  
  

Reliability engineering plays a crucial role in ensuring product quality, reducing maintenance costs, and improving overall system performance by managing risks associated with equipment failures