• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.151-165
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• 1997

We propose a method for estimating the probability of perfect PM from successive failure times of a repairable system. The system under study is maintained preventively at periodic times, and it undergoes minimal repair at failure. We consider Brown-Proschan imperfect PM model in which the system is restored to a condition as good as new with probability P and is otherwise restored to its condition just prior to failure. We discuss the identifiability problem when the PM modes are not recorded. The expectation-maximization principle is employed to handle the incomplete data problem. We assume that the lifetime distribution belongs to a parametric family with increasing failure rate. For the two parameter Weibull lifetime distribution, we propose a specific algorithm for finding the maximum lifelihood estimates of the reliability parameters : the probability of perfect PM (P), as well as the distribution parameters. The estimation method will provide useful results for maintaining real systems.

• Journal of Applied Reliability
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.280-286
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• 2016

Purpose: Recently, Jiang defines the tradeoff B life to minimize a sum of life lost by preventive maintenance (PM) and corrective maintenance (CM) contribution parts and sets up an optimal replacement age of age replacement policy as this tradeoff life. In this paper, Jiang's model only considering the known lifetime distribution is extended by assigning different weights to two parts of PM and CM in order to reflect the practical maintenance situations in application. Methods: The new age replacement model is formulated and the meaning of a weight factor is expressed with the implied cost of failure under asymptotic expected cost model and also discussed with one-cycle expected cost criterion. Results: The proposed model is applied to Weibull and lognormal lifetime distributions and optimum PM replacement ages are derived with corresponding implied cost of failure. Conclusion: The new age replacement policy to escape the estimation of cost of failure in classical asymptotic expected cost criterion based on the renewal process is provided.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.804-811
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• 2010

The fatigue crack propagation is stochastic in nature, because the variables affecting the fatigue behavior are random and have uncertainty. Therefore, the fatigue life prediction is critical for the design and the maintenance of many structural components. In this study, fatigue experiments are conducted on the specimens of magnesium alloy AZ31 under various conditions such as thickness of specimen, the load ratio and the loading condition. The probability distribution fit to the fatigue failure life are investigated through a probability plot paper by these conditions. The probabilities of failure at various conditions are also estimated. The fatigue design life is predicted by using the Weibull distribution.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.843-846
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• 2015

In this paper, the failure mechanism of PTC heater were examined closely by failure analysis and based on it, accelerated life test were conducted. Finally, life distribution and acceleration model were established. The failure mechanism of PTC heater such as crack, increase of resistance due to heating were identified. Two acceleration factors such as temperature, humidity were chosen with two levels each and accelerated life test were done. Life distribution were identified as Weibull distribution with shape parameter 5.4 and Temperature-Humidity model was fitted as an acceleration model.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.37-41
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• 2018

Process safety technology has developed from qualitative methods such as HAZOP (hazard and operability study) to semi-quantitative methods such as LOPA (layer of protection analysis), and quantitative methods are actively studied these days. Quantitative risk assessment (QRA) is often based on fault tree analysis (FTA). FTA is efficient, but difficult to apply when failure events are not independent of each other. This problem can be avoided using a Markov process (MP). MP requires definition of all possible states, and thus, generally, is more complicated than FTA. A method is proposed in this work that uses an MP model and a Weibull distribution model in order to construct a reliability model for multiple dependent failures. As a case study, a pressure safety valve (PSV) is considered, for which there are three kinds of failure, i.e. open failure, close failure, and gas tight failure. According to recently reported inspection results, open failure and close failure are dependent on each other. A reliability model for a PSV group is proposed in this work that is to reproduce these results. It is expected that the application of the proposed method can be expanded to QRA of various systems that have partially dependent multiple failure states.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.375-401
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• 2014

It is generally accepted that material heterogeneity has a great influence on the deformation, strength, damage and failure modes of rock. This paper presents numerical simulation on rock failure process based on the characterization of rock heterogeneity by using a digital image processing (DIP) technique. The actual heterogeneity of rock at mesoscopic scale (characterized as minerals) is retrieved by using a vectorization transformation method based on the digital image of rock surface, and it is imported into a well-established numerical code Rock Failure Process Analysis (RFPA), in order to examine the effect of rock heterogeneity on the rock failure process. In this regard, the numerical model of rock could be built based on the actual characterization of the heterogeneity of rock at the meso-scale. Then, the images of granite are taken as an example to illustrate the implementation of DIP technique in simulating the rock failure process. Three numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the impact of actual rock heterogeneity due to spatial distribution of constituent mineral grains (e.g., feldspar, quartz and mica) on the macro-scale mechanical response, and the associated rock failure mechanism at the meso-scale level is clarified. The numerical results indicate that the shape and distribution of constituent mineral grains have a pronounced impact on stress distribution and concentration, which may further control the failure process of granite. The proposed method provides an efficient tool for studying the mechanical behaviors of heterogeneous rock and rock-like materials whose failure processes are strongly influenced by material heterogeneity.

• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.43-59
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• 1995

This paper presents a method for estimating the population variability distribution of the failure parameter (failure rate or failure probability) for each failure mode considered in PSA (Probabilistic Safety Assessment). We focus on the utilization of generic estimates from various industry compendia for the estimation. The estimates are complicated statistics of failure data from plants. When the failure data referred in two or more sources are overlapped, dependency occurs among the estimates provided by the sources. This type of problem is first addressed in this paper. We propose methods based on ML-II estimation in Bayesian framework and discuss the characteristics of the proposed estimators. The proposed methods are easy to apply in real field. Numerical examples are also provided.

• IE interfaces
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.27-33
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• 2003

The maintenance cost in K Steelworks has been continuously increased in proportion to the production cost. However, there seems to be a possibility of reducing cost through the optimization of maintenance actions. The failure types of the equipment in steelworks ate various with different failure cost. Thus the failure rate and cost of each type of failures should be considered simultaneously when the optimum maintenance period is to be determined. It is considered that the equipment undergoes periodic replacement and a specified number of incomplete preventive maintenance actions are performed during a replacement period. Assuming that the time to failure follows a Weibull distribution, the parameters of the failure rate are estimated using the maximum likelihood estimation. The optimal replacement period is determined to minimize the average cost per unit time. As the result of analysis it is suggested that the existing maintenance period for a hot-rolling equipment can be extended significantly.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.12
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• pp.4522-4533
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• 2022

For severe accident assessment of reactor pressure vessel (RPV), it is important to develop an accurate model that can predict transient thermo-mechanical behavior of the RPV lower head under the given condition. The present study revisits the lower head failure with two- and three-dimensional finite element models. In particular, we aim to give clear insight regarding the effect of the three-dimensionality present in the distribution of the thickness and thermal load of the lower head. For a rigorous validation of the result, both the OLHF-1 and the OLHF-2 tests are considered in this study. The result suggests that the three-dimensional effect is not negligible as far as the failure location is concerned. The non-uniformity of the thickness distribution is found to affect the failure location and time. The thermal load, which may not be axisymmetric in general, has the most significant effect on the failure assessment. We also observe that the creep property can affect the global deformation of the lower head, depending on the applied mechanical load.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.10 no.6 s.38
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• pp.27-36
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• 2005

Finite failure NHPP models presented in the literature exhibit either constant, monotonic increasing or monotonic decreasing failure occurrence rates Per fault. This Paper Proposes reliability model using the generalized gamma distribution, which can capture the monotonic increasing(or monotonic decreasing) nature of the failure occurrence rate per fault. Equations to estimate the parameters of the generalized gamma finite failure NHPP model based on failure data collected in the form of interfailure times are developed. For the sake of proposing shape parameter of the generalized gamma distribution, used to the special pattern. Data set, where the underlying failure process could not be adequately described by the knowing models, which motivated the development of the gamma or Weibull model. Analysis of failure data set for the generalized gamma modell, using arithmetic and Laplace trend tests . goodness-of-fit test, bias tests is presented.