Characteristics of the Weibull Distribution

As was mentioned previously, the Weibull distribution is widely used in reliability and life data analysis due to its versatility. Depending on the values of the parameters, the Weibull distribution can be used to model a variety of life behaviors. We will now examine how the values of the shape parameter, , and the scale parameter, , affect such distribution characteristics as the shape of the pdf curve, the reliability and the failure rate. Note that in the rest of this section we will assume the most general form of the Weibull distribution, i.e. the three-parameter form. The appropriate substitutions to obtain the other forms, such as the two-parameter form where = 0, or the one-parameter form where = C = constant, can easily be made. This section includes the following subsections: y y y Characteristic Effects of the Shape Parameter, , for the Weibull Distribution Characteristic Effects of the Scale Parameter, , for the Weibull Distribution Characteristic Effects of the Location Parameter, , for the Weibull Distribution

Characteristic Effects of the Shape Parameter, , for the Weibull Distribution

The Weibull shape parameter, , is also known as the slope. This is because the value of is equal to the slope of the regressed line in a probability plot. Different values of the shape parameter can have marked effects on the behavior of the distribution. In fact, some values of the shape parameter will cause the distribution equations to reduce to those of other distributions. For example, when = 1, the pdf of the three-parameter Weibull reduces to that of the two-parameter exponential distribution or: