ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the basic elements of component reliability estimation. The discussion centers around the classical frequency approach to component reliability. It also presents some aspects of component reliability analysis based on the subjectivist or Bayesian approach. Reliability has many connotations. In general, it refers to an item's ability to successfully perform an intended function during a mission. The longer the item performs its intended function, the more reliable it is. Formally, reliability is viewed as both an engineering and a probabilistic notion. Generally, a bathtub curve can be divided into three regions. The burn-in early failure region exhibits a decreasing failure rate (DFR), characterized by early failures attributable to defects in design, manufacturing, or construction. The exponential distribution is one of the most commonly used distributions in reliability analysis. This can be attributed primarily to its simplicity and to the fact that it gives a simple, constant hazard rate model corresponding to a situation that is often realistic.
