Reliability analysis based on the cost of failure

摘要

The conventional reliability analysis is based on the premise that increasing the reliability of a system will decrease the losses from failures. On the basis of counterexamples it is demonstrated that increasing the reliability of the system inappropriately may increase the expected losses from failures instead of decreasing them, which shows that for industries associated with a high cost of failure the reliability analysis needs to be based on the cost of failure. Accordingly, a theoretical framework and models are proposed which form the foundations for reliability analysis and setting reliability requirements linking reliability with cost of failure.rnEquations are proposed for determining the expected losses from failures of non-repairable and repairable systems, composed of components logically arranged in series, with arbitrary life distributions. For complex systems whose components are not logically arranged in series, a simulation algorithm is proposed for determining the risk of premature failure. The application of the models has been illustrated by engineering examples.