Seminar Notice
 
Statistical Laboratory
Iowa State University
 
DATE AND TIME: Monday, September 20, 2004, 4:10 p.m.
 
PLACE: 319 Snedecor
 
SPEAKER: William Meeker, Department of Statistics, Iowa State University
 
TITLE: Using Accelerated Tests to Predict Warranty Returns
 
ABSTRACT
 
Life tests are used to assess the reliability of materials, components, and 
subsystems. A frequently asked question is "what do these test results say 
about performance in the field." Laboratory tests are carefully controlled 
whereas the field environment is highly variable. Products in the field 
see, for example, different use rates. If one has detailed information on 
the distribution of use rates in the field, it is possible to use 
laboratory test results to predict the failure time distribution in the 
field. Often such information is not available. If both life test data and 
field data (e.g., from Warranty returns) are available, it is possible to 
fit a physically motivated transfer function to relate the two datasets. 
Under a reasonable set of practical assumptions, this transfer function can 
then be used to predict the failure time distribution for a future 
component or product operating in the same use environment. This talk will 
describe a model and methods for fitting such a transfer function model. 
The methods will be illustrated with an example to predict the failure time 
distribution of two different failure modes of a turbine device.
 
COFFEE: 3:45 p.m., 104 Snedecor Hall
 
Seminar schedules and abstracts are available via WWW:
 <http://www.public.iastate.edu/~stat/>http://www.stat.iastate.edu/
 
 
Jeanette La Grange, Secretary
102 Snedecor Hall - Department of Statistics
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-1210
Phone: 515-294-3440
Fax: 515-294-4040
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jeanette/