ABSTRACT
Initial stages of design process often require an assessment of system reliability before the hardware is built. Most reliability specifications, especially in automotive, avionics, and electronics industries include the analytical reliability prediction requirement before prototype development. A system reliability prediction involves analysis of its constituents and their interactions in an effort to predict the relevant systems characteristics,such as the rate atwhich the systemwill fail (Smith 2005). A reliability prediction is one of the most common forms of reliability analysis for calculating failure rate and MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures). In some cases it is also appropriate to use reliability prediction techniques to make a decision on competing designs, where reliability is an important factor. When actual product reliability data is not available, standards-based reliability prediction may be used to evaluate design feasibility, compare design alternatives, identify potential failure areas, trade-off system design factors, and track reliability improvement.
