Three New Life Distribution Models for Modeling Field Failure Data

Abstract

Intrinsic and extrinsic factors affect the field reliability of a product. This makes the field reliability generally different from the inherent reliability. It is desired that a field reliability model can provide the information about the inherent reliability and quantify the effects of main extrinsic factors on reliability. This article presents three such life distribution models that can quantitatively reflect the effect of tests, transport and storage process, or/and operating variability on reliability. A real-world example is included to illustrate the appropriateness and usefulness of these models. The significance and interpretation of the felid reliability model are also discussed.

Keywords:

• Effective accelerating factor
• Effective initial age
• Field reliability
• Inherent reliability
• Reliability at sale

Mathematics Subject Classification:

• Primary 62-XX
• Secondary 62N05

Acknowledgment

The author would like to thank Professor D. N. P. Murthy for his constructive commons on the article, and is grateful to the editors and reviewers for their helpful comments. The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation (No. 71071026).

Notes

*D-U: Decreasing-followed-by-unimodal

**U-I: Unimodal-followed-by-increasing

***B-I: Bimodal-followed-by-increasing