Speaking Of Reliability: Friends Discussing Reliability Engineering Topics | Warranty | Plant Maintenance

Issues with Single Stress Testing Abstract Kirk and Fred discussing a question from a listener regarding a specific failure mechanism and time to failure for the same, and how most failures are not due to a single stress condition. Key Points Join Kirk and Fred as they discuss a solder crack and the forces that will propagate the crack to a point of failure. Topics include: How so many of the single failure mechanism, such as solder cracks or PEM package de-lamination will be found in the stress testing lab, the reality of the product in field conditions will have other factors that contribute or modify the rate of crack or de-lamination and makes it very difficult to estimate “field life” from “test chamber life”. Any models of fatigue damage must be confirmed by empirical testing to show the models are valid. Boeing Aircraft will actually load a wing structure to empirical failure to confirm its models of fatigue damage on real hardware. Even though many companies have made actual measurements of the shipping stresses that their product will be subjected to on the way to its destination, they really cannot capture the wide distribution of worst case combinations of stresses that will occur through the world shipping services. Many if not most failure mechanisms have more than one stress driving it to failure and the combinations and distributions of the multiple stress effects on the rate of failure make it difficult if not impossible to determine the field life from a single stress experiment. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Show Notes You can now purchase the recent recording of Kirk Gray’s Hobbs Engineering 8 (two 4 hour sessions) hour Webinar “Rapid and Robust Reliability Development 2022 HALT & HASS Methodologies Online Seminar” from this link. Please click on this link to access a relatively new analysis of traditional reliability prediction methods article from the US ARMY and CALCE titled  “Reliability Prediction – Continued Reliance on a Misleading Approach” For more information on the newest discovery testing methodology here is a link to the book “Next Generation HALT and HASS: Robust design of Electronics and Systems” written by Kirk Gray and John Paschkewitz. Related Topic: Recognizing Basic Gear Fatigue Failure Patterns(Opens in a new browser tab) The post SOR 847 Issues with Single Stress Testing appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Stuck in Your Job Abstract Chris and Fred discuss what you can do to feel good about your job … including when you know it is time to move on. Key Points Join Chris and Fred as they discuss that not uncommon feeling many of us get when we feel stuck in a job. Is there anything you can do? Do you stay or do you go? Topics include: Some leaders (managers) don’t get it. And by ‘it’ we mean today’s workforce. The amount of complaints we have heard about ‘Gen Z’ or ‘millennials’ and how they are impossible to lead. Not true. The world has never been more productive. So it’s not the ‘young people’ … its the ‘old white guys in suits.’ Don’t underestimate the value of an idea. Steve Jobs was a jerk. But he was the leader of one of the most successful companies ever. How does this work? People want to feel like they are contributing to something amazing … even if the boss is a jerk (sometimes). Jobs was amazing at creating a vision (like an iPhone) and being amazing at having an organization focus on it. So … do you know what idea you are contributing to in your organization? … so what does job satisfaction look like for you? And this is tricky. No job is perfect. What can you tolerate? What can’t you tolerate? So even if the job is amazing from someone else’s perspective, it might not work for you. Don’t skip the step of trying to find what you need more than other people. Don’t just complain … be proactive. Do something. If you are frustrated with one leader, look for another mentor who gets you. If other people take credit for your work, start blowing your own trumpet. Maybe you can make a proposal to your leadership team about the job or project you would like to start. If you try these OR these things are not part of what you think ‘job satisfaction is … then it is up to you to remove yourself from that situation. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Related Topic SOR 866 Career Strategies (Opens podcast in a new browser tab) The post SOR 846 Stuck in Your Job appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

RAMS Warts and All Abstract Chris and Fred discuss how it felt like the 2023 Reliability, Availability and Maintainability Symposium (RAMS) went? Was it a success? Is it going downhill? Key Points Join Chris and Fred as they discuss how the 2023 RAM(S) Symposium that just finished in January 2023. RAMS is (or was?) one of the pre-eminent gatherings of reliability talent in the world.  But it is? Topics include: No it is not. It might have been good once. Not anymore. Why not? Leadership. The board of directors are representatives of different societies who ‘sponsor’ the symposium. These societies are not actually sponsors as they make money from the symposium. Board members are seldom seen, host private parties, and receive perks (bribes) from hotels clambering for the board to choose them. So we have clear conflicts of interest across a board of disinterested board members who are more interested in having a good time. It is that bad. But doesn’t the board have to work hard to make it happen? For some … yes  (at least a little bit). But it is the separate (volunteer) management committee who are the real backbone of the symposium. And most of them are frustrated with everything as well. What does that mean? This year’s RAMS was held in a hotel that adjoins a shopping mall. Potential authors are being frustrated with reviewers who don’t judge papers based on merit … they judge papers based on it aligning with their worldview. The ‘theme’ of each symposium has minimal relevance to what actually happens. Money that could be spent on services and amenities for attendees is instead delivered back to the societies. And so on. What does this mean moving forward? Perhaps we need to create a new symposium that goes back to what RAMS used to be … Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Related Topic RM 108: A Preview of the Upcoming SMTA Pan Pacific Microelectronics Symposium(Opens podcast in a new browser tab) 9 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Next Maintenance Conference(Opens podcast in a new browser tab)   The post SOR 845 RAMS Warts and All appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Routine Reliability Abstract Dianna and Fred discussing routine reliability from a listener’s question: when creating a reliability plan for a project, how do we separate the routine and unique parts of reliability activities? Key Points Join Dianna and Fred as they discuss reliability planning: the technique and frameworks used to achieve reliability objectives. Topics include: why having a process to create a plan is much better than trying to use a standard plan some traps when trying to standardize packing for travel, root cause analysis Watch for Fred and Carl’s new book about reliability planning, to be released soon! Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Show Notes Have a standard process for how to CREATE a reliability plan. Don’t have a standard reliability plan. We first need to ask ourselves “why”? What is it we need to know this time? Then, what do we need to do? Some questions to ask to put together a plan to achieve reliability objectives: What are we trying to achieve? What information do we know or don’t know? What are our constraints? How are we going to get that information to inform decisions? How do we monitor it? Review a previous plan for lessons learned, to incorporate those into your new plan. Some traps to be aware about: We tend to get asked, “How many samples do I need?” Instead, we should ask, “What type of information do we need to extract from samples?” Collecting test results out of habit without really doing anything with the results. Doing tests because we have the equipment and because that’s how we’ve always done it, but not really getting the answers we need to achieve those real reliability objectives. SOR 793 Putting Reliability Plans Together The Art of Creating a Reliability Plan The post SOR 844 Routine Reliability appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Hidden Reliability Wins Abstract Dianna and Fred discussing hidden reliability wins: when reliability efforts go right, things don’t go wrong. So then, how can reliability engineers quantify their work? Key Points Join Dianna and Fred as they discuss hidden reliability wins. To quantify reliability engineering work, we need to do some due diligence and shine light on its value. Topics include: how to define the value of reliability work and the types of feedback to collect when we focus on value when and how to report and share it the importance of taking the time to do this in a quantified way celebrating heroes, fairytales, and fighting project fires If you’ve tried this, what has been your experience? What’s working? What’s not working? Let us know. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. SOR 843 Hidden Reliability WinsDianna Deeneyshare Social: Link: Embed: https://episodes.reliability.fm/sor/sor-843-hidden-reliability-wins.mp3 Download Audio RSS Show Notes What can we do to highlight those hidden reliability wins, to make them more visible? We need to bring to light reliability work by summarizing our work in a value statement (one slide/page): what was the problem? what was the solution? what difference did it make (what was the value)? Present the value statement in terms that internal customers will understand. This usually incorporates financials. We also may need to connect the dots (almost step-wise) between REs activities and the value quantification. You may start with hindsight to quantify your wins and collect a catalog. Then, during planning phases, you can start to prioritize activities based on the value they may add. When should you do and share these value statements? Just after an analysis, as part of a year-end tally, on a bulletin board, or when planning – just as a few examples. It’s not statistics and not engineering. Get comfortable making estimations! Just get started! Related Topics SOR 742 Reliability and Quality(Opens in a new browser tab)

Working on the Right Things Abstract Philip and Fred discussing what should reliability engineers be working on that are the right things. Key Points Join Philip and Fred as they discuss Topics include: Do certifications provide a basis for what adds the most value? Dealing with reliability is the culture, not the presence of reliability engineering. A good start is to ask what we can do that will make a material difference. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Related Topic: SOR 566 An Effective Start in Reliability Engineering(Opens podcast in a new browser tab)   The post SOR 842 Working on the Right Things appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Expectations Abstract Philip and Fred discussing how setting expectations impact reliability engineering tasks and results. Key Points Join Philip and Fred as they discuss Topics include: The set of written and unwritten expectations for your role as a reliability engineer. The different set of expectations when reacting to problems or proactively avoiding them. Dealing with the often myopic view of what a reliability engineer should be doing. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Related Topics SOR 650 Reliability Expectations(Opens podcast in a new browser tab)   The post SOR 841 Expectations appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Regulators and Risk Abstract Chris and Fred discuss the age-old problem or regulation. If the regulators are not the adults in the room, then we have a problem. Key Points Join Chris and Fred as they discuss the role that regulators should play in making things safer and more reliable. Topics include: Regulators need to be the adults in the room. If regulators are engaged in fighting the organizations they are supposed to regulate … then we have a problem. Like the Boeing 737 Max debacle regarding the MCAS system and the crashes it caused. Yes, Boeing was very, very wrong in how they went about the engineering behind the aircraft. But it starts with a regulator (in this case the FAA) that created these behaviors by making the certification of ‘new’ aircraft so hard, that Boeing bends over backwards to convince the regulator that a new aircraft is in fact … not new. And then, convincing FAA to certify the aircraft themselves. Madness. Regulators can act like ‘gods’ without having ‘god-like’ knowledge. What does this mean? Regulators don’t tell industries like the autonomous vehicle industry what needs to happen for their vehicles to be deemed ‘safe.’ But … the same regulators are demanding lots of information from manufacturers to help them make this decision. Which essentially means that manufacturers are only volunteering information to regulators that gives them reasons to say ‘NO.’ So are manufacturers withholding information or being devious with the data they release? Absolutely. And this is wrong. But this starts with the regulators fishing for reasons to say ‘NO’ instead of defining what they need to say ‘YES.’ And if you don’t know what ‘YES’ looks like … then you need to accept risk. Which many regulators cannot comprehend. Regulators are not competent at design and manufacture … which is not a problem but needs to be acknowledged. Every US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) regulates a characteristic that a manufacturer came up with. Like seatbelts and ABS brakes. Which means that older vehicles that are still being driven on the road don’t meet current FMVSS. And this is OK … because continual improvement is … continual. So we know regulations cannot be ‘perfect’ before the technology is deployed. Which means something needs to ‘be blown up’ before autonomous vehicles are on the road. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Related Topic SOR 412 Are Regulators Good For Reliability(Opens podcast in a new browser tab) The post SOR 840 Regulators and Risk appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

First Steps with Data Abstract Chris and Fred discuss what is the first thing with you do when someone gives you lots of information. What do you do? Key Points Join Chris and Fred as they discuss what your steps are when someone gives you a lot of data to analyze. Where do you start? Topics include: Understand the decision you are trying to inform. If the only data you have is failure data … but you need to estimate reliability, then you don’t have the right data. You need to have data from all the products or units that have not failed. So you need to understand the decision before you even know if you have the right data. Make sure the data makes sense. Are the columns missing headings? Is the data supposed to be warranty data only, but there are failure events included that fall outside the warranty period? Is the ‘root cause’ the same for every failure event? The reason why this matters is that if there is a problem with how the data is collected … it makes it hard to trust everything else. Does the data match what you expect? Is the failure data supposed to be investigating infant mortality … but the data infers a ‘bell curve’ as the probability distribution of best fit? Do you even know what sort of failure a bell curve implies? If not … learn about it. And you will quickly realize that we are not dealing with infant mortality. So you need to ask why? You have either discovered something amazing, different, or corrupt. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS iTunes Stitcher Show Notes   The post SOR 839 First Steps with Data appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Basic Risk Management Abstract Greg and Fred discussing how to set up a risk assessment program. Key Points Join Greg and Fred as they discuss how to start risk analysis.  Topics include: How to start a risk program in a project or process in terms of looking at variation. How SPC, FMEA, and other quality tools are examples of risk analyses. Why risk management is the future of quality. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio Related Topic: Risk Decision Making, Frameworks, and Assessments(Opens article in a new browser tab)   The post SOR 838 Basic Risk Management appeared first on Accendo Reliability.