Optimal Reliability Design provides a detailed introduction to systems reliability and reliability optimization. State-of-the-art techniques for maximizing system reliability are described, focusing on component reliability enhancement and redundancy arrangement. The authors present several case studies and show how optimization techniques are applied in practice. They also pay particular attention to finding methods that give the optimal trade-off between reliability and cost. The book is suitable for use on graduate-level courses in reliability engineering and operations research. It will also be a valuable reference for practising engineers.

Promotes better ways to diagnose, maintain, and improve existing systems. Existing reliability evaluation models are examined with respect to today's complicated engineering systems that have hundreds of thousands of integrated component designs.

"The proposed work deals with the application of this powerful method to derive optimal design recommendations for large engineering systems under natural hazards. The three case studies illustrate to engineers and academic specialists how to strike a cost-effective balance in designing such systems"--

Dependability and cost effectiveness are primarily seen as instruments for conducting international trade in the free market environment. These factors cannot be considered in isolation of each other. This handbook considers all aspects of performability engineering. The book provides a holistic view of the entire life cycle of activities of the product, along with the associated cost of environmental preservation at each stage, while maximizing the performance.

The revised edition of this book offers an expanded overview of the reliability design of mechanical systems and describes the reliability methodology, including a parametric accelerated life test (ALT) plan, a load analysis, a tailored series of parametric ALTs with action plans, and an evaluation of the final designs to ensure the design requirements are satisfied. It covers both the quantitative and qualitative approaches of the reliability design forming in the development process of mechanical products, with a focus on parametric ALT and illustrated via case studies. This new reliability methodology – parametric ALT should help mechanical and civil engineers to uncover design parameters improving product design and avoiding recalls. Updated chapters cover product recalls and assessment of their significance, modern definitions in reliability engineering, parametric accelerated life testing in mechanical systems, and extended case studies. For this revised edition, one new chapter has been introduced to reflect recent developments in analysis of fluid motion and mechanical vibration. Other chapters are expanded and updated to improve the explanation of topics including structures and load analysis, failure mechanics, design and reliability testing, and mechanical system failure. The broad scope gives the reader an overview of the state-of-the-art in the reliability design of mechanical systems and an indication of future directions and applications. It will serve as a solid introduction to the field for advanced students, and a valuable reference for those working in the development of mechanical systems and related areas.

This volume is an outcome of the 11th IFIP WG7.5 working conference on Reliability and Optimization of Structural Systems in Canada. The conference focuses on structural reliability methods and applications and engineering risk analysis and decision-making.

This book provides readers with an understanding of the fundamentals and applications of structural reliability, stochastic finite element method, reliability analysis via stochastic expansion, and optimization under uncertainty. It examines the use of stochastic expansions, including polynomial chaos expansion and Karhunen-Loeve expansion for the reliability analysis of practical engineering problems.