Abstract- This paper presents a new framework for optimizing, in the face of constraints on time and resources, selective failure analysis strategies for reliability modeling of systems where multiple failure mechanisms are present.We propose a new method to improve reliability parameter estimates for multiple failure mechanisms (under Weibull mixture and competingrisks models) via a dynamic, iterative strategy for selecting and determining the failure cause of a small number of failed units. Results are statistically validated for both uncensored and rightcensored data. Our approach yields, on average, a log-likelihood increase of up to two orders of magnitude. This paper also develops a procedure for optimal selection of accelerated life test conditions to enable accurate characterization of the parameters of physical failure mechanism models. This work provides a unified framework for strategic decision-making for reliability analysis, allowing the practitioner to maximize resource usage and minimize errors in the presence of experimental constraints.
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Carl V. Thompson
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