An Introduction to Reliability and Quality Engineering

This book is an introduction to the topics of quality and reliability, using a broad approach which is not linked to any particular engineering discipline. The first chapter explains the concepts of quality and reliability, introduces practical definitions and relevant statistics. The second chapter shows how to calculate the reliability of a range of important systems given failure rate data for individual elements and components. Typical component and element failure rate and models are presented in Chapter 3, together with discussion of software and human reliability. Chapter 4 deals with quality and reliability in manufacture and discusses Total Quality Management, the influence of quality and reliability on product economics and how both can be achieved at the design, production and testing stages. Chapter 5 is concerned with reliability in maintenance, examines how different maintenance strategies influence the total cost of ownership; these strategies are then discussed in detail. The application of reliability principles to engineering safety is covered in Chapter 6; this is a case study of the design of a highly reliable protective system for hazardous chemical process. The book contains around 100 line diagrams and tables and several worked examples. The mathematics is limited to the minimum necessary for understanding the principles involved. The book is intended primarily for undergraduate students on electrical, electronic, instrumentation/control, mechanical, manufacturing and chemical engineering degree courses. Furthermore, since the level of mathematics is not high, much of the material will be helpful to technical engineers and students. The book should also be of use to professional engineers requiring an introductory text.