Reliability Engineering

Student Notes

Abstract
This document contains the important points discussed in the pre-recorded courseware. It will help in revising the
important concepts related to Electrical and Electronics Technology course.

This Student Note is authorized for use only by Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) - Pilani students. Copying or
posting of its content is an infringement of copyright.
 Reliability Engineering

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Lecture 5 Notes
Focus Topics:
 Determination of Reliability of Series Configuration
 Determination of Reliability of Parallel Configuration
 Determination of Reliability of Combined Seried- Parallel Configuration
 High and Low-level Redundancy
 Determination of Reliability for k out of n Redundancy
 Determination of Reliability for Complex Configuration
 Serial Configuration
• In a series configuration, all assets are considered critical

Reliability block diagram for components in series

• E1=Event that component 1 does not fail
• E2=Event that component 2 does not fail
• Then P(E1)=R1 and P(E2)=R2 R1,R2=Reliabilities
Rs=P(E1∩E2)=P(E1) P(E2)= R1 R2
• Therefore generalizing system reliability as-
Rs= (R1) x (R2) x (R3) x …………….x (Rn)

 Parallel Configuration
 In parallel system all units must fail to for system to fail
 Parallel units are represented by block diagram

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 Reliability Engineering

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 System reliability is found by taking 1 minus probability that all n components

fail

 Combined Series Parallel Systems

Generally systems contain assets in both series and parallel relationships.

• To compute the system reliability, the network may be broken into series or
parallel subsystems
• The system reliability may be calculated on the basis of the relationship
among the subsystems
In the network the subsystems have the following reliabilities
• RA= [1 – (1 - R1) (1 - R2)]
• RB= (RA) x (R3) RC= (R4) x (R5)
• RS= [1 – (1 - RB) (1 - RC)] (R6)

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Students. Copying or posting of its content is an infringement of copyright. 2
 Reliability Engineering

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 High and Low-level Redundancy

 System redundancy may be obtained in two ways
I. Each component may have parallel component
II. Entire system may placed in parallel with another identical system

• Let A and C are identical & B and D are identical components, If both the
component has same reliability R then
•

•
• By Comparing two reliabilities, it can be shown that reliability of low level
redundancy is greater than reliability of high level redundancy
 k out of n Redundancy
• A requirement exist for k out of n identical and independent components to
function for the system to function.
• If each component is viewed as independent trial with R as a constant probability
of success, then probability of exactly x components operating is-

 Complex configuration
 Certain systems cannot be decomposed into series and parallel systems
 Such networks can be analyzed by using decomposition method.

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Students. Copying or posting of its content is an infringement of copyright. 3
 Reliability Engineering

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 Decomposition Method
 Two sub networks are created : one in which component E is assumed to be
functioning and one in which E has failed

Reliability of each sub network is determined separately, Then the system reliability
can be given by

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This Student Note is authorized for use only by Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) – Pilani
Students. Copying or posting of its content is an infringement of copyright. 4