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Mechanical Design Reliability 3-Day Course

Course Description

This Mechanical Design Reliability Training Course is a practical application of fundamental mechanical engineering to system and component reliability. Designed for the practitioner, this course covers the theories of mechanical reliability and demonstrates the supporting mathematical theory. For the beginner, the essential tools of reliability analysis are presented and demonstrated. These applications are further solidified by practical problem solving and open discussion.

Who Should Take the Course

Designers, reliability specialists, and program managers can benefit from this course that provides information on a broad range of reliability topics. Touching on all key aspects of designing and manufacturing for reliability, the course is excellent for those beginning their reliability career, an excellent refresher course for those who may have been out of the field for a time, and, for those more senior in their reliability experience, a forum for exchanging ideas and gaining new insights into reliability.

What the Student Will Learn

The objective of this extensive application of reliability principles is to leave the participants prepared to address reliability related to mechanical equipment and to provide competency in the predominant tools of mechanical system reliability analysis.

Included Materials

Attendees will receive a copy of the RIAC's publication "System Reliability Toolkit." Lecture notes also will be provided in hard copy.

Required Materials

Attendees should bring a scientific calculator and optionally a laptop computer.

Ned H. Criscimagna

Picture of Ned H. Criscimagna Ned H. Criscimagna is President and owner of Criscimagna Consulting LLC. Ned has over 41 years experience in reliability and maintainability (R&M) engineering, aircraft maintenance, DOD and military service policy development, defense acquisition, and acquisition logistics. He served in the United States Air Force for 20 years, 15 in acquisition, engineering, and maintenance. After retiring from the Air Force in 1985, Ned worked for over 20 years in industry, first for ARINC Research Corporation, then for IIT Research Institute (IITRI), and finally for Alion Science and Technology. At IITRI and then Alion, he served as the Deputy Director for the Reliability Analysis Center (RAC) the predecessor of the RIAC. He also was the Editor of the RAC Journal, Manager of RAC Product Development, managed the RAC training program, and taught the RAC's Mechanical Reliability Design training course. He now performs R&M project work for commercial and government customers. Ned earned his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nebraska in June 1965, his MS in System Engineering - Reliability from the Air Force Institute of Technology in December 1970. He took post-graduate course in Systems Management for the University of Southern California. He is a Certified Reliability Engineer through IEEE and a Certified Professional Logistician through SOLE. He has written numerous articles and papers. He is listed in several of the Marquis' Who's Who publications.

Course Outline

Introduction to Reliability of Mechanical Equipment
  1. Elements of a comprehensive reliability program
  2. Need for reliability engineering
  3. Are your products reliable?
  4. Basic definitions in reliability theory
  5. General concepts
Reliability Engineering Prerequisites
  1. Part versus system reliability issues
  2. Probability functions
    • Probability Density Functions
    • Cumulative Distribution Function
    • Reliability Functions
    • Hazard Function
  3. General rules of probability
  4. Confidence intervals versus point estimates
Reliability Requirements and Goal Setting
  1. Derive customer needs
  2. Derive customer performance reliability requirements
  3. Determine product design reliability requirements and goals
  4. Develop system reliability model
  5. Allocate system reliability requirements/goals to lower levels
Mechanical Reliability Assessment
  1. Definitions
  2. Need for Assessment
  3. Assessment through Similarity
  4. Assessment Methods for Parts
    • Failure data analysis
    • Empirical models
    • Mechanical stress/strength interference method
    • Cumulative hazard function
System Reliability Assessment
  1. Modeling
  2. Simulation
  3. Trending
    • Point process
    • Trend analysis
  4. Confidence determination
Failure Modes & Effects Analysis (FMEA)
  1. What is a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)?
  2. What are the benefits of performing an FMEA?
  3. When is a FMEA conducted?
  4. Who should perform an FMEA?
  5. What are the prerequisites, procedures and data elements?
  6. What is a Failure, Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA)?
Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)
  1. What is a Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)
  2. Benefits of performing an FTA
  3. Appropriate applications of an FTA
  4. FTA
    • Key concepts
    • Procedures
    • Logic symbols
    • Construction rules
    • Data requirements
  5. Qualitative analysis
  6. Quantitative Analysis
  7. Related analyses
Reliability Testing
  1. Objectives of Reliability Testing
  2. Reliability Growth Testing
  3. Reliability Qualification Testing
  4. Accelerated Life Testing
  5. Production Reliability Acceptance Testing
  6. Conclusions
Maintaining the Designed-in Level of Reliability in Production and Operation
  1. Effect of production and operation on reliability
  2. Production considerations
  3. Quality of production
  4. Configuration management and control
  5. Supplier selection and management
  6. Designing for maintainability
  7. Reliability information systems
  8. Developing a maintenance program of corrective and preventive tasks
Review and Wrap-Up
  1. Outline
    • Have a strategy
    • Include the "right" reliability program elements
    • Implement tasks at the correct time
    • Have an effective data system
    • Key points
    • Where do you go from here?