Aging effect and test-retest reliability of the sinusoidal harmonic acceleration test and velocity step test using nanotorque rotatory chair

Introduction:Rotatory chair testing has been used to evaluate horizontal canal function.Frequently used tests include sinusoidal harmonic acceleration test(SHAT)and velocity step test(VST).Objectives:Assessment of age effect on the SHAT and VST and assessment of test-retest reliability of the parameters of those two tests.Methods:A prospective study was performed on 100 subjects with no ear or vestibular complaints and normal vestibular evaluation.They were divided into two groups;Group A:below 50 years of age and Group B:50 years of age or above.SHAT was presented at frequencies 0.02,0.04,0.08,0.16,0.32,0.64 Hz with a peak velocity of 60°/s.VST was performed using a maximum velocity of 100°/s with acceleration and deceleration of 200°/s2.Thirty subjects were tested twice to assess reliability.Results:Study participants ranged in age from 20 to 67 years.Regarding group A,the mean age was30.92±7.31 and 55.36±4.61 for group B.No significant differences were found in SHAT parameters between the two groups.As well,there was no significant difference in VST per-rotatory time constant,however,post-rotatory time constant was significantly longer for Group B(P value<0.05).Intraclass correlation coefficient(ICC)values showed moderate to good reliability(ICC 0.5800.818)for SHAT parameters for the lower frequencies and indicated moderate reliability for VST time constant(ICC 0.5090.652).Conclusions:Age has no significant effect on the parameters of SHAT and VST.Test-retest reliability is generally good for both tests.

Designing Adaptive Multiple Dependent State Sampling Plan for Accelerated Life Tests

A novel adaptive multiple dependent state sampling plan(AMDSSP)was designed to inspect products from a continuous manufacturing process under the accelerated life test(ALT)using both double sampling plan(DSP)and multiple dependent state sampling plan(MDSSP)concepts.Under accelerated conditions,the lifetime of a product follows the Weibull distribution with a known shape parameter,while the scale parameter can be determined using the acceleration factor(AF).The Arrhenius model is used to estimate AF when the damaging process is temperature-sensitive.An economic design of the proposed sampling plan was also considered for the ALT.A genetic algorithm with nonlinear optimization was used to estimate optimal plan parameters to minimize the average sample number(ASN)and total cost of inspection(TC)under both producer’s and consumer’s risks.Numerical results are presented to support the AMDSSP for the ALT,while performance comparisons between the AMDSSP,the MDSSP and a single sampling plan(SSP)for the ALT are discussed.Results indicated that the AMDSSP was more flexible and efficient for ASN and TC than the MDSSP and SSP plans under accelerated conditions.The AMDSSP also had a higher operating characteristic(OC)curve than both the existing sampling plans.Two real datasets of electronic devices for the ALT at high temperatures demonstrated the practicality and usefulness of the proposed sampling plan.

Bayesian Analysis in Partially Accelerated Life Tests for Weighted Lomax Distribution

Accelerated life testing has been widely used in product life testing experiments because it can quickly provide information on the lifetime distributions by testing products or materials at higher than basic conditional levels of stress,such as pressure,temperature,vibration,voltage,or load to induce early failures.In this paper,a step stress partially accelerated life test(SSPALT)is regarded under the progressive type-II censored data with random removals.The removals from the test are considered to have the binomial distribution.The life times of the testing items are assumed to follow lengthbiased weighted Lomax distribution.The maximum likelihood method is used for estimating the model parameters of length-biased weighted Lomax.The asymptotic confidence interval estimates of the model parameters are evaluated using the Fisher information matrix.The Bayesian estimators cannot be obtained in the explicit form,so the Markov chain Monte Carlo method is employed to address this problem,which ensures both obtaining the Bayesian estimates as well as constructing the credible interval of the involved parameters.The precision of the Bayesian estimates and the maximum likelihood estimates are compared by simulations.In addition,to compare the performance of the considered confidence intervals for different parameter values and sample sizes.The Bootstrap confidence intervals give more accurate results than the approximate confidence intervals since the lengths of the former are less than the lengths of latter,for different sample sizes,observed failures,and censoring schemes,in most cases.Also,the percentile Bootstrap confidence intervals give more accurate results than Bootstrap-t since the lengths of the former are less than the lengths of latter for different sample sizes,observed failures,and censoring schemes,in most cases.Further performance comparison is conducted by the experiments with real data.

Empirical Approach for Planning and Designing Constant Stress Accelerated Life Tests

Accelerated life testing(ALT)has been widely used to obtain information about the product's life characteristics at normal conditions in a relatively short period of time.Two key issues with ALT are test design and data analysis.The test design of constant stress ALT was studied in this paper.The test design usually combines engineering experiences with optimization models.Such approaches are hard to be implemented by practitioners.A"pure"empirical approach was presented to address this issue.With the proposed approach,some of the decision variables are determined based on the results from the literature,some of the other variables are determined based on engineering analysis and /or judgment,and the remaining variables are determined based on the empirical relations developed in this paper.A real-world example is included to illustrate the appropriateness of the proposed approach.

Multiple Objective Test Design for Accelerated Destructive Degradation Tests

Accelerated destructive degradation tests(ADDTs)are powerful to provide reliability information in the degradation processes with destructive measurements.In order to carry out an ADDT efficiently,both the estimation precision of parameters and the test cost should be considered.On the basis of the given degradation model and failure criterion,a multiple-objective optimization model for the design of ADDTs is proposed.Under constrains of the maximum measurement time,the total sample size and the number of stress levels,a comprehensive target function is suggested to reflect both the precision of lifetime estimation and total cost,and the optimal test plan is obtained,which is composed by optimal choices for samples size,measurement frequency,and the number of measurements at each stress level.A real example is illustrated to demonstrate the implementation of the proposed approach.

Constant Stress Accelerated Life Tests for Vacuum Fluorescent Display Based on Least Square Method

To estimate the life of vacuum fluorescent display （VFD） more accurately and reduce test time and cost, four constant stress accelerated life tests （CSALTs） were conducted on an accelerated life test model. In the model, statistical analysis of test data is achieved by applying lognormal function to describe the life distribution, and least square method （LSM） to calculate the mean value and the standard deviation of logarithm. As a result, the accelerated life equation was obtained, and then a self-developed software was developed to predict the VFD life. The data analysis results demonstrate that the VFD life submits to lognormal distribution, that the accelerated model meets the linear Arrhenius equation, and that the precise accelerated parameter makes it possible to acquire the life information of VFD within one month.

Determination method of permafrost table in seasonal frozen soil areas under“Water-Heat-Salt”coupling

The permafrost table is an important index for the design and construction of roads in cold regions,so it is necessary to find a convenient,accurate and fast judgment method to determine the permafrost table.In this study,a three-field coupled model was established based on the hydrothermal salt coupling within the permafrost and the similarity theory,and the changes of the permafrost table under different temperature,moisture and salt conditions were numerically simulated by considering the transient temperature change and the influence of the permafrost layer on the seasonally thawed layer.In addition,an accelerated permafrost table test method was designed based on the time-domain variation and hydrothermal salt coupling by the similarity theory,which rapidly simulated the permafrost table change under different temperatures,moisture,and salts in the natural environment.Comparing the simulation and test results with the measured values in the field,the errors are less than 3%,which verified the feasibility of the method for determining the permafrost table,and the simulated results are better than the test results.Results show that the results of determining the permafrost table with a single index have different degrees of deviation,and the permafrost table obtained by the temperature index is the most accurate in general,and it is more accurate to use the average value of the three indexes as the permafrost table compared with a single index.

Inference for accelerated bivariate dependent competing risks model based on Archimedean copulas under progressive censoring

Dependent competing risks model is a practical model in the analysis of lifetime and failure modes.The dependence can be captured using a statistical tool to explore the re-lationship among failure causes.In this paper,an Archimedean copula is chosen to describe the dependence in a constant-stress accelerated life test.We study the Archimedean copula based dependent competing risks model using parametric and nonparametric methods.The parametric likelihood inference is presented by deriving the general expression of likelihood function based on assumed survival Archimedean copula associated with the model parameter estimation.Combining the nonparametric estimation with progressive censoring and the non-parametric copula estimation,we introduce a nonparametric reliability estimation method given competing risks data.A simulation study and a real data analysis are conducted to show the performance of the estimation methods.

Leakage Prediction Method for Contacting Mechanical Seals with Parallel Faces

Since the beginning of the 20th century, many researches on the sealing characteristic of mechanical seals were carried out broadly and in depth by various methods and some leakage models were built. But due to the lack of the way to characterize the main factors of influence on the leakage, most of the early researches were based on the assumptions that the seal faces topography and the frictional conditions were invariant. In the early built models, the effect of the surface topography change of the seal face on the leakage rate was neglected. Based on the fractal theory, the contact of end faces of the rotary and stationary rings was simplified to be the contact of a rough surface and an ideal rigid smooth surface, and the contact interface＇s cavity size-distribution function as well as the fractal characteristic of the cavity profile curve was discussed. By analyzing the influence of abrasion on the seal face topography and the leakage channel, the time-correlation leakage prediction model of mechanical seals based on the fractal theory was established and the method for predicting the leakage rate of mechanical seals with parallel plane was proposed. The values of the leakage rate predicted theoretically are similar to the measured values of the leakage rate in the model test and in situ test. The experimental results indicate that the leakage rate of mechanical seals is a transient value. The surface topography of the end faces of the seal tings and its change during the frictional wear of mechanical seals can be accurately characterized by the fractal parameters. Under the work conditions of changeless frictional mechanism, the fractal parameters measured or calculated based on the accelerated testing equation can be used to predict the leakage rate of mechanical seal in service. The proposed research provides the basis for determining the leakage state and predicting working life of mechanical seal.

Accelerated Degradation Reliability Modeling and Test Data Statistical Analysis of Aerospace Electrical Connector

As few or no failures occur during accelerated life test,it is difficult to assess reliability for long-life products with traditional life tests.Reliability assessment using degradation data of product performance over time becomes a significant approach.Aerospace electrical connector is researched in this paper.Through the analysis of failure mechanism,the performance degradation law is obtained and the statistical model for degradation failure is set up; according to the research on statistical analysis methods for degradation data,accelerated life test theory and method for aerospace electrical connector based on performance degradation is proposed by improving time series analysis method,and the storage reliability is assessed for Y11X series of aerospace electrical connector with degradation data from accelerated degradation test.The result obtained is basically consistent with that obtained from accelerated life test based on failure data,and the two estimates of product＇s characteristic life only have a difference of 8.7%,but the test time shortens about a half.As a result,a systemic approach is proposed for reliability assessment of highly reliable and long-life aerospace product.

Step-stress Accelerated Degradation Test Modeling and Statistical Analysis Methods

In order to get a rapid assessment on the storage reliability of high-reliable and long-life products within the storage period, accelerated degradation test data with a large amount of reliability information of product is adopted. Conducting a constant-stress accelerated degradation test（CSADT） is generally very costly as it requires a large sample size and long time for test. To overcome this problem, it is necessary to carry out research on modeling and statistical analysis methods of step-stress accelerated degradation test （SSADT）. Taking electrical connectors as the object, a research is conducted on statistical model and assessment method for SSADT. On the basis of mixed-effect degradation path model, the statistical model of SSADT for electrical connectors is presented, the maximum likelihood method for SSADT data based on mixed-effect degradation model is proposed. SSADT accelerated by temperature stress is conducted to Y11X-1419 type of electrical connectors, and the storage reliability is assessed with the SSADT data. Compared with the result obtained from accelerated life test, the reliability estimation of 32-year storage period for electrical connectors obtained from S SADT data only have a difference of 0.869%, which validates the accuracy of the degradation model and the feasibility of the test data statistic analysis method put forward.

Analysis of Incomplete Data of Accelerated Life Testing with Competing Failure Modes

Data obtained from accelerated life testing （ALT） when there are two or more failure modes, which is commonly referred to as competing failure modes, are often incomplete. The incompleteness is mainly due to censoring, as well as masking which might be the case that the failure time is observed, but its corresponding failure mode is not identified. Because the identification of the failure mode may be expensive, or very difficult to investigate due to lack of appropriate diagnostics. A method is proposed for analyzing incomplete data of constant stress ALT with competing failure modes. It is assumed that failure modes have s-independent latent lifetimes and the log lifetime of each failure mode can be written as a linear function of stress. The parameters of the model are estimated by using the expectation maximum （EM） algorithm with incomplete data. Simulation studies are performed to check＇model validity and investigate the properties of estimates. For further validation, the method is also illustrated by an example, which shows the process of analyze incomplete data from ALT of some insulation system. Because of considering the incompleteness of data in modeling and making use of the EM algorithm in estimating, the method becomes more flexible in ALT analysis.

Residual lifetime prediction model of nonlinear accelerated degradation data with measurement error

For the product degradation process with random effect (RE), measurement error (ME) and nonlinearity in step-stress accelerated degradation test (SSADT), the nonlinear Wiener based degradation model with RE and ME is built. An analytical approximation to the probability density function (PDF) of the product's lifetime is derived in a closed form. The process and data of SSADT are analyzed to obtain the relation model of the observed data under each accelerated stress. The likelihood function for the population-based observed data is constructed. The population-based model parameters and its random coefficient prior values are estimated. According to the newly observed data of the target product in SSADT, an analytical approximation to the PDF of its residual lifetime (RL) is derived in accordance with its individual degradation characteristics. The parameter updating method based on Bayesian inference is applied to obtain the posterior value of random coefficient of the RL model. A numerical example by simulation is analyzed to verify the accuracy and advantage of the proposed model.

Optimal Design of Multiple Stress Constant Accelerated Life Test Plan on Non-rectangle Test Region

For optimal design of constant stress accelerated life test（CSALT） with two-stress, if the stresses could not reach the highest levels simultaneously, the test region becomes non-rectangular. For optimal CSALT design on non-rectangle test region, the present method is only focused on non-rectangle test region with simple boundary, and the optimization algorithm is based on experience which can not ensure to obtain the optimal plan. In this paper, considering the linear-extreme value model and the optimization goal to minimize the variance of lifetime estimate under normal stress, the optimal design method of two-stress type-I censored CSALT plan on general non-rectangular test region is proposed. First, two properties of optimal test plans are proved and the relationship of all the optimal test plans is determined analytically. Then, on the basis of the two properties, the optimal problem is simplified and the optimal design method of two-stress CSALT plan on general non-rectangular test region is proposed. Finally, a numerical example is used to illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the method, The result shows that the proposed method could obtain the optimal test plan on non-rectangular test regions with arbitrary boundaries. This research provides the theory and method for two-stress optimal CSALT planning on non-rectangular test regions.

Optimal Design of Multiple Stresses Accelerated Life Test Plan Based on Transforming the Multiple Stresses to Single Stress

For planning optimum multiple stresses accelerated life test plans, a commonly followed guiding principle is that all parameters of the life-stress relationship should be estimated, and the number of the stress level combinations must be no less than the number of parameters of the life-stress relationship. However, the general objective of an accelerated life test（ALT） is to assess thep-th quantile of the product life distribution under normal stress. For this objective,estimating all model parameters is not necessary, and this will increase the cost of test. Based on the theoretical conclusion that the stress level combinations of the optimum multiple stresses ALT plan locate on a straight line through the origin of coordinate, it is proposed that a design idea of planning the optimum multiple stresses ALT plan through transforming the problem of designing an optimum multiple stresses ALT plan to designing an optimum single stress ALT plan. Moreover, a method of planning the optimum multiple stresses ALT plan which can avoid estimating all model parameters is established. An example shows that, the proposed plan which only has two stress level combinations could achieve an accuracy no less than the traditional plan, and save the test time and cost on one stress level combination at least; when the actual product life is less than the design value, even the deviation of the model initial parameters value is up to 20%, the variance of the estimation of thep-th quantile of the proposed plan is still smaller than the traditional plans approximately 25%. A design method is provided for planning the optimum multiple stresses ALT which uses the statistical optimum degenerate test plan as the optimum multiple stresses accelerated life test plan.

Estimation for constant-stress accelerated life test from generalized half-normal distribution

In the constant-stress accelerated life test, estimation issues are discussed for a generalized half-normal distribution under a log-linear life-stress model. The maximum likelihood estimates with the corresponding fixed point type iterative algorithm for unknown parameters are presented, and the least square estimates of the parameters are also proposed. Meanwhile, confidence intervals of model parameters are constructed by using the asymptotic theory and bootstrap technique. Numerical illustration is given to investigate the performance of our methods.

Effect of nonmetallic inclusions on localized corrosion of spring steel

Certain inclusions in high-strength 60Si2Mn-Cr spring steel result in poor resistance to localized corrosion.In this work,to study the effect of inclusions on the localized corrosion behavior of spring steel,accelerated corrosion tests were performed by immersing spring steel in 3wt%FeCl_(3)solution for different times.The results show that severe corrosion occurred in areas of clustered CaS inclusions.Sulfide inclusions containing Ca and Mg induced the strongest localized corrosion susceptibility.For the case of(Ca,Mn,Mg)S inclusions,the ability to induce localized corrosion susceptibility is ranked as follows:MgS>CaS>MnS.Moreover,CaS,(Ca,Mn)S,and(Ca,Mn,Mg)S inclusions were mainly responsible for inducing environmental embrittlement.

Optimum design of equivalent accelerated life testing plans based on proportional hazards-proportional odds model

The optimum design of equivalent accelerated life testing plan based on proportional hazards-proportional odds model using D-optimality is presented. The defined equivalent test plan is the test plan that has the same value of the determinant of Fisher information matrix. The equivalent test plan of step stress accelerated life testing （SSALT） to a baseline optimum constant stress accelerated life testing （CSALT） plan is obtained by adjusting the censoring time of SSALT and solving the optimization problem for each case to achieve the same value of the determinant of Fisher information matrix as in the baseline optimum CSALT plan. Numer- ical examples are given finally which demonstrate the equivalent SSALT plan to the baseline optimum CSALT plan reduces almost half of the test time while achieving approximately the same estimation errors of model parameters.

Laboratory and field testing of bolting systems subjected to highly corrosive environments

The capacity of ground support components which have been affected by corrosion is reduced and may ultimately lead to dynamic failure of the component and the strata. In order to maintain an effective,long-term ground support system, significant campaigns of rehabilitation are often required in corrosion affected areas which also expose the workers to hazardous conditions. The most common corrosion protection for steel ground support utilises sacrificial systems such as galvanising. Galvanising has previously been proven to be susceptible to some corrosion processes. Stainless steel is the most effective in resistance to corrosion, but can be cost prohibitive, and its mechanical properties often make it unsuited to use in ground support components. Providing an outer protective plastic coating to bolts has proven to be an effective means of protecting the inner steel bar from corrosion. However, these support systems tend to be susceptible to coating damage, and require post cement grouting to provide full encapsulation. In comparison to a standard bolt/resin system, they can be slow to install and expensive.These systems have also been shown to reduce overall load transfer performance of the bolting system. In order to provide a higher level of corrosion protection whilst maintaining current installation practices and bolting cycle times, Minova has developed the Enduro^(TM)steel ground support range. The Enduro^(TM) range consists of standard Minova steel ground support components which have been treated with a unique coating process. The Enduro^(TM)coating has been tested in the harshest of conditions, in laboratory controlled conditions and in underground trials. It has been proven to effectively resist or completely eliminate the formation of corrosion, even in the most aggressive environments. This paper explains the process and provides the details of the laboratory and underground corrosion performance testing carried out on Enduro^(TM)ground support products.

Design of Accelerated Life Test Plans——Overview and Prospect

Accelerated life test(ALT) is currently the main method of assessing product reliability rapidly, and the design of efficient test plans is a critical step to ensure that ALTs can assess the product reliability accurately, quickly, and economically. With the promotion of the national strategy of civil-military integration, ALT will be widely used in the research and development(R&D) of various types of products, and the ALT plan design theory will face further challenges. To aid engineers in selecting appropriate theories and to stimulate researchers to develop the theories required in engineering, with focus on the demands for theory research that arise from the implementation of ALT, this paper reviews and summarizes the development of ALT plan design theory. The development of the theory and method for planning optimal ALT for location-scale distribution, which is the most applied and mature theory of designing the optimal ALT plan, are described in detail. Taking this as the center of radiation, some problems that ALT now faces, such as the verification of the statistical model, limitation of sample size, solutions of resource limits, optimization of the test arrangement, and management of product complexity, are discussed, and the general ideas and methods of solving these problems are analyzed. Suggestions for selecting appropriate ALT plan design theories are proposed, and the urgent solved theory problems and opinions of their solutions are proposed. Based on the principle of convenience for engineers to select appropriate methods according to the problems found in practice, this paper reviews the development of optimal ALT plan design theory by taking the engineering problems arising from the ALT implementation as the main thread, provides guidelines on selecting appropriate theories for engineers, and proposes opinions about the urgent solved theory problems for researchers.