Track 2 Session 6
10:20 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday June 15, 2006

A Process to Accelerate Reliability Growth Testing that Provides Demonstrated Reliability With Statistical Confidence

This session presents a process for accelerating reliability growth testing (RGT) that demonstrates an achieved level of reliability with statistical confidence. This process combines the best features of Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) with the Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity (AMSAA) Reliability Growth-Tracking Model. Upper and lower operating limits for environmental stressors that are identified by HALT are used to run RGT under maximum allowed accelerated conditions. Times-to-failure (TTF) are then translated from accelerated time to normal-use-time or non-accelerated time with the use of scientifically accepted acceleration factors or functions. Elapsed test time is reduced while retaining a statistically significant demonstration of achieved reliability at confidence. The magnitude of the reduction in elapsed time depends on the failure mechanism having the lowest acceleration factor.

Key Words: Accelerated Test, Reliability Growth, Demonstration Testing