Introduction
Reliability is an essential parameter for any manufacturing system or product. Manufacturers are increasingly prioritizing reliability as global competition has become increasingly intense. This has led to the development of a concept known as ‘failure rate’. Defined as the average number of failures per unit time, failure rate is an important metric that provides companies with insight into their products’ performance and long-term reliability. By understanding a product’s failure rate, companies can better determine its risk exposure and improve the design of the product for increased reliability.
Definition of Failure Rate
Failure rate is defined as the number of a product’s failures divided by its total operating hours. This number is normally expressed as the mean failure rate, which is the average number of fails observed over a predetermined period of time. It is also important to note that failure rate is calculated differently on different kinds of products. For electronic components, the failure rate is calculated using the number of fails per billion hours. For mechanical components, the failure rate is calculated using the number of fails per million hours. The differences in calculation reflect the fact that electronic components are generally more complex and are expected to fail less often than mechanical components.
Factors Influencing Failure Rate
There are several factors that can influence a product’s failure rate. The most important factor is product design, as the design can have a major impact on a product’s reliability and performance. Poorly designed or poorly built products are more likely to suffer from higher failure rates as they are more prone to breakage or malfunction. In addition, environmental factors can also influence failure rate. Temperature and humidity are particularly important as prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures and humidity levels can cause components to rust or corrode, which can increase the risk of failure.
Measuring Failure Rate
To accurately measure failure rate, companies must first establish a baseline and set a reasonable expectation of the product’s performance in different conditions. Companies may use empirical testing and field surveys to understand the product’s performance in each of these conditions. Once this baseline data is obtained, the failure rate can then be calculated with the use of reliability tests. Reliability tests simulate a product’s performance in a range of conditions to see how it performs and identify areas of weakness. These tests are often used to determine a product’s “operating life”, which is the estimated amount of time it can function without failure.
Conclusion
Failure rate is an important metric for evaluating a product’s reliability and performance. It is important to understand that failure rate is different for electronic and mechanical components, and it is affected by product design and environmental factors. Failure rate can be determined through empirical testing and field surveys, in order to gain an accurate representation of how the product will perform. By understanding and measuring failure rate, companies can gain insight into their products’ reliability and can take steps to improve their design to better ensure high performance and long-term reliability.
