Inference and optimal design for the k-level step-stress accelerated life test based on progressive Type-I interval censored power Rayleigh data

In this paper, a new generalization of the one parameter Rayleigh distribution called the Power Rayleigh (PRD) was employed to model the life of the tested units in the step-stress accelerated life test. Under progressive Type-I interval censored data, the cumulative exposure distribution was considered to formulate the life model, assuming the scale parameter of PRD has the inverse power function at each stress level. Point estimates of the model parameters were obtained via the maximum likelihood estimation method, while interval estimates were obtained using the asymptotic normality of the derived estimators and the bootstrap resampling method. An extensive simulation study of $k = 4$ levels of stress in different combinations of the life test under different progressive censoring schemes was conducted to investigate the performance of the obtained point and interval estimates. Simulation results indicated that point estimates of the model parameters are closest to their initial true values and have relatively small mean squared errors. Accordingly, the interval estimates have small lengths and their coverage probabilities are almost convergent to the 95% significance level. Based on the Fisher information matrix, the D-optimality and the A-optimality criteria are implemented to determine the optimal design of the life test by obtaining the optimum inspection times and optimum stress levels that improve the estimation procedures and give more efficient estimates of the model parameters. Finally, the developed inferential procedures were also applied to a real dataset

Optimal Experimental Planning of Reliability Experiments Based on Coherent Systems

In industrial engineering and manufacturing, assessing the reliability of a product or system is an important topic. Life-testing and reliability experiments are commonly used reliability assessment methods to gain sound knowledge about product or system lifetime distributions. Usually, a sample of items of interest is subjected to stresses and environmental conditions that characterize the normal operating conditions. During the life-test, successive times to failure are recorded and lifetime data are collected. Life-testing is useful in many industrial environments, including the automobile, materials, telecommunications, and electronics industries. There are different kinds of life-testing experiments that can be applied for different purposes. For instance, accelerated life tests (ALTs) and censored life tests are commonly used to acquire information in reliability and life-testing experiments with the presence of time and resource limitations. Statistical inference based on the data obtained from a life test and effectively planning a life-testing experiment subject to some constraints are two important problems statisticians are interested in. The experimental design problem for a life test has long been studied; however, the experimental planning considering putting the experimental units into systems for a life-test has not been studied. In this thesis, we study the optimal experimental planning problem in multiple stress levels life-testing experiments and progressively Type-II censored life-testing experiments when the test units can be put into coherent systems for the experiment. Based on the notion of system signature, a tool in structure reliability to represent the structure of a coherent system, under different experimental settings, models and assumptions, we derive the maximum likelihood estimators of the model parameters and the expected Fisher information matrix. Then, we use the expected Fisher information matrix to obtain the asymptotic variance-covariance matrix of the maximum likelihood estimators when $n$-component coherent systems are used in the life-testing experiment. Based on different optimality criteria, such as $D$-optimality, $A$-optimality and $V$-optimality, we obtain the optimal experimental plans under different settings. Numerical and Monte Carlo simulation studies are used to demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of using systems in life-testing experiments

On the maximum likelihood estimation for progressively censored lifetimes from constant-stress and step-stress accelerated tests

In order to gather the information about the lifetime distribution of a product, a standard life testing method at normal operating conditions is not practical when the product has an extremely long lifespan. Accelerated life testing solves this difficult issue by subjecting the test units at higher stress levels than normal for quicker and more failure data. The lifetime at the design stress is then estimated through extrapolation using an appropriate regression model. Estimation of the regression parameters based on exponentially distributed lifetimes from accelerated life tests has been considered by a number of authors using numerical methods but without systematic or analytical validation. In this article, we propose an alternative approach based on a simple and easy-to-apply graphical method, which also establishes the existence and uniqueness of the maximum likelihood estimates for constant-stress and step-stress accelerated life tests under progressive censorings

Optimal Test Plan of Step Stress Partially Accelerated Life Testing for Alpha Power Inverse Weibull Distribution under Adaptive Progressive Hybrid Censored Data and Different Loss Functions

Accelerated life tests are used to explore the lifetime of extremely reliable items by subjecting them to elevated stress levels from stressors to cause early failures, such as temperature, voltage, pressure, and so on. The alpha power inverse Weibull (APIW) distribution is of great significance and practical applications due to its appealing characteristics, such as its flexibilities in the probability density function and the hazard rate function. We analyze the step stress partially accelerated life testing model with samples from the APIW distribution under adaptive type II progressively hybrid censoring. We first obtain the maximum likelihood estimates and two types of approximate confidence intervals of the distributional parameters and then derive Bayes estimates of the unknownparameters under different loss functions. Furthermore, we analyze three probable optimum test techniques for identifying the best censoring under different optimality criteria methods. We conduct simulation studies to assess the finite sample performance of the proposed methodology. Finally, we provide a real data example to further demonstrate the proposed technique

Inference for Step-Stress Partially Accelerated Life Test Model with an Adaptive Type-I Progressively Hybrid Censored Data

Consider estimating data of failure times under step-stress partially accelerated life tests based on adaptive Type-I hybrid censoring. The mathematical model related to the lifetime of the test units is assumed to follow Rayleigh distribution. The point and interval maximum-likelihood estimations are obtained for distribution parameter and tampering coefficient. Also, the work is conducted under a traditional Type-I hybrid censoring plan (scheme). A Monte Carlo simulation algorithm is used to evaluate and compare the performances of the estimators of the tempering coefficient and model parameters under both progressively hybrid censoring plans. The comparison is carried out on the basis of mean squared errors and bias

Planning progressive type-I interval censoring life tests with competing risks

[[abstract]]In this article, we investigate some reliability and quality problems when the competing risks data are progressive type-I interval censored with binomial removals. The failure times of the individual causes are assumed to be statistically independent and exponentially distributed with different parameters. We obtain the estimates of the unknown parameters through a maximum likelihood method, and also derive the Fisher's information matrix. The optimal lengths of the inspection intervals are determined under two different criteria. The reliability sampling plans are established under given producer's and customer's risks. A Monte Carlo simulation is conducted to evaluate the performance of the estimators, and also some numerical results are presented.[[notice]]補正完畢[[journaltype]]國外[[incitationindex]]SCI[[ispeerreviewed]]Y[[booktype]]電子

Maximum Likelihood Estimation for Step-Stress Partially Accelerated Life Tests based on Censored Data

The aim of this article is to perform the estimation procedures on Rayleigh parameter in step-stress partially accelerated life tests (PALT) under both Type-I and Type-II censored samples in which all the test units are first to run simultaneously under normal conditions for a pre-specified time, and the surviving units are then run under accelerated conditions until a predetermined censoring reached. It is assumed that the lifetime of the test units follows Rayleigh distribution. The maximum likelihood estimates are obtained for the proposed model parameters and acceleration factor for each of Type-I and Type- II censored data. In addition, the asymptotic variances and covariance matrix of the estimators are presented, and confidence intervals of the estimators arealso given