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In this issue: |
Issue 15, May 2002 |
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Reliability HotWire is a service
of ReliaSoft Corporation
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Hot Topics |
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The Generalized Gamma
Distribution and Reliability Analysis
The Weibull life distribution has long been used for most life data
analysis problems. The main reason for the distribution's popularity is
the versatility it provides, i.e. the Weibull distribution can take
on the characteristics of other types of distributions, based on the value
of the shape parameter, beta. The generalized gamma distribution is also a
flexible distribution, and in fact contains the exponential, Weibull,
lognormal and gamma distributions as special cases. ReliaSoft's
Weibull++ 6 software also includes a Generalized Gamma distribution
option (when used in the Expert mode). We will use this article to explore
the generalized gamma distribution and its relation to other lifetime
distributions.
To read more, see
http://www.weibull.com/hotwire/issue15/hottopics15.htm
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Reliability Basics |
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The purpose of this section is to offer background and advice to the novice
reliability engineer.
Location Parameter of the Weibull Distribution
In last month's issue of Reliability HotWire, we had a
detailed look at the Weibull distribution, which included the
characteristics of the estimated parameters, beta and eta. However, the
location parameter, gamma, was not discussed in much detail. In many
cases, the location parameter may be assumed to be zero, but in this
month's issue we will take a closer look at the the location parameter and
how/when to use the 3-parameter Weibull distribution.
To read more, see
http://www.weibull.com/hotwire/issue15/relbasics15.htm
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Tool Tips |
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The Tool Tips
section addresses helpful hints and frequently asked questions about
ReliaSoft software products.
To read more, see
http://www.weibull.com/hotwire/issue15/tooltips15.htm
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Hot News |
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Reliability Training Seminars -
Upcoming ReliaSoft public reliability training seminars include:
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Master the Subject, Master the Tools
training seminar for life data analysis, accelerated life data
analysis and system reliability: May 20 - 24, 2002 in
Tucson, Arizona. For more information, see
http://www.ReliaSoft.com/seminars/master.htm. |
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QALT Boot Camp
intensive three day course on advanced topics, concepts and
applications of quantitative accelerated life testing (QALT),
such as time-varying stress, multiple stress testing and
ReliaSoft's ALTA PRO software: June 26-28, 2002 in
Tucson, Arizona. For more information, see
http://www.ReliaSoft.com/seminars/qalt.htm. |
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ReliaSoft at the SAE TOPTEC - ReliaSoft will be
participating at SAE International's TOPTEC workshop to be held May
7-8, 2002 at the Westin Southfield Hotel in Southfield, Michigan.
This two day TOPical, TEChnical workshop addresses Accelerated Stress
Testing and Reliability & Failure Analysis. Be sure to attend the
presentation of Quantitative Accelerated Life Testing (QALT)
given by ReliaSoft's President and CEO Pantelis Vassiliou on
Wednesday, May 8th. For more details, see
http://www.sae.org/calendar/toptecs2.htm#a3st.
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ReliaSoft to co-sponsor the 28th Annual Reliability Testing Institute
- Along with Boeing, Caterpillar, Dell, Eaton, Honeywell, Raytheon,
General Electric and Siemens, ReliaSoft will once again be
co-sponsoring the Annual Reliability Testing Institute. The institute
will be held May 13-16, 2002 in Tucson, Arizona. If you will be
attending the institute, we would love to meet you at the ReliaSoft
corporate headquarters, conveniently located nearby. Call
+1.520.886.0410 if you would like to arrange a meeting to discuss your
reliability needs. Also, be sure to attend the overview of ReliaSoft's
reliability engineering software tools, given by ReliaSoft's President
and CEO Pantelis Vassiliou on Tuesday, May 14th.
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ReliaSoft at AQC - ReliaSoft will be participating at the
ASQ's 56th Annual Quality Congress (AQC) to be held May 20-22,
2002 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado. ReliaSoft
will be at booth 353 (across from the golf simulator) in the vendors'
area where you can get information on ReliaSoft's products and
services. For more details, see
http://aqc.asq.org/.
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MSG-3 Maintenance Program Creator Released - ReliaSoft's
MPC 3, an MSG-3 compliant maintenance program creator, was released in
March, 2002. Developed with Honeywell Aircraft Engines & Systems
Group, this software package is specifically designed for the
aerospace industry. For more information, see
http://MPC.ReliaSoft.com.
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ReliaSoft at MRO - ReliaSoft would like to thank those of
you who stopped by the ReliaSoft booth in the vendors area during the
recent Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Conference and
Exhibition in Phoenix, Arizona. We hope that we helped to make this a
productive and interesting conference for you.
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From The Edge |
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In addition to the
monthly Reliability HotWire, ReliaSoft publishes Reliability
Edge, a printed journal that includes articles and information
related to the field of reliability engineering. Articles of interest in
the current edition:
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Using Quantitative Accelerated Life Testing Models for Other
Applications
- Although the phrase “accelerated life testing” often
brings to mind images of temperature chambers filled with electronic
components, the methodology for analyzing data from accelerated life
tests can also be used in many other applications (e.g.
analyses to quantify reliability under different operating conditions,
degradation analyses and stability/shelf-life studies). This article
provides a brief overview of accelerated life testing analysis
modeling and demonstrates the use of the analysis methodology in two
non-accelerated applications. See
http://www.reliasoft.com/newsletter/1q2002/qalt.htm.
- Creating
Initial Scheduled Maintenance Plans - The MSG-3 guidelines have
been developed to provide the aircraft industry with a logical
framework for creating initial scheduled maintenance plans that will
be acceptable to regulatory authorities, operators and manufacturers.
This article provides a general overview of MSG-3 and discusses the
systems and powerplant portion of the analysis in more detail.
Finally, we introduce ReliaSoft’s MPC 3 software, designed to assist
MSG-3 working groups to accurately and efficiently complete such
analyses. See
http://www.reliasoft.com/newsletter/1q2002/maintenance.htm.
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Share Your Experience
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Reliability
Specification Experiences Wanted
Reliability specifications are a central component of most reliability
analyses. Despite their central importance, there is wide variation
within industry as to the format and meaning of reliability
specifications. In many cases, there are serious deficiencies in the
specifications on which manufacturers base important business decisions.
In a future issue of our printed newsletter, the
Reliability Edge, we will examine the reliability specifications
that are commonly used in industry today. We invite you to participate
by sharing non-confidential/non-proprietary information about the
reliability specifications that you work with in your day-to-day
efforts. Do you have experience with particularly effective reliability
specifications? Have you struggled to educate decision makers in your
organization about the inadequacies of the specifications that they have
adopted? Have you received specifications from a client that just do not
make sense?
Please send feedback to us at
ReliabilityEdge@ReliaSoft.com, or by standard mail at 1450 S.
Eastside Loop, Tucson, AZ 85710-6703, USA.
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Copyright © 2002
ReliaSoft Corporation, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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