This proceedings volume contains 38 papers presented at the 4th Working Conference on "Rel iability* and Optimization of Structural Systems", held at the Technical University of Munich, Germany, September 11- 13, 1991. The Working Conference was organised by the IFIP (Interna tional Federation for Information Processing) Working Group 7.5 of Technical Committee 7 and was the fourth in a series, following similar conferences held at the University of Aalborg, Den mark, May 1987, at the Imperial College, London, UK, September 1988 and at the University of California, Berkeley, California, USA, March 1990. The Working Conference was attended by 54 participants from 16 countries. The objectives of Working Group 7.5 are: * to promote modern structural systems optimization and reliability theory, * to advance international cooperation in the field of structural system optimization and reliability theory, * to stimulate research, development and application of structural system optimization and reli ability theory, * to further the dissemination and exchange of information on reliability and optimization of structural systems * to encourage education in structural system optimization and reliability theory. At present the members of the Working Group are: A. H.-S. Ang, U.S.A. M. Grimmelt, FRG G. A ugwti, Italy N. C. Lind, Canada M. J. Baker, UK H. O. Mad&en, Denmark P. Bjerager, Norway R. E. Melcher~, Australia C. A. Cornell, U.S.A. F. Mo~e~, U.S.A.

The aim of this volume is to present to researchers and engineers working on problems concerned with the mechanics of solids and structures, the current state of the development and application to procedures for assessing the reliability of a system. Particular attention is paid to their use in the analysis of complex engineering systems. The topics covered reflect the need to integrate, within the overall methodology, statistical methods for dealing with uncertain parameters and random excitation with the development of a suitable safety indexes and design codes. The basic principles of reliability theory, together with current standard methodology, including a consideration of the operational, economic and legal aspects of reliability assurance, is reviewed, together with an introduction to new developments, such as the application of expert systems technology. Damage accumulation predictions, with applications in seismic engineering are also covered.

This proceedings volume contains 33 papers presented at the 3rd Working Conference on "Rel- iability and Optimization of Structural Systems", held at the University of California, Berkeley, California, USA, March 26 -28, 1990. The Working Conference was organised by the IFIP (Inter- national Federation for Information Processing) Working Group 7.5 of Technical Committee 7 and was the third in a series, following similar conferences held at the University of Aalborg, Denmark, May 1987 and at the Imperial College, London, UK, September 1988. The Working Conference was attended by 48 participants from 12 countries. The objectives of Working Group 7.5 are: * to promote modern structural systems optimization and reliability theory, * to advance international cooperation in the field of structural system optimization and reliability theory, * to stimulate research, development and application of structural system optimization and reli- ability theory, * to further the dissemination and exchange of information on reliability and optimization of structural systems * to encourage education in structural system optimization and reliability theory. At present the members of the Working Group are: A. H.-S. Ang, U.S.A. G. A ugusti, Italy M. J. Baker, United Kingdom P. Bjerager, Norway R. B. Corotis, U.S.A. C. A. Cornell, U.S.A. M. Grigoriu, U.S.A. A. Der Kiureghian, U.S.A. O. Ditlevsen, Denmark D. M. Frangopol, U.S.A. S. Garribba, Italy H. Furuta, Japan M. R. Gorman, U.S.A. M. Grimmelt, Germany, F. R.

Goal Structuring Notation (GSN) is becoming increasing popular; practitioners use it in the railway, air traffic management and nuclear industries, amongst others. Originally developed to present safety assurance arguments, GSN need not be restricted to safety assurances only; in principle, you can use it to present (and test) any argument. Anyone wishing to support, or refute, a claim can use GSN. Written by an experienced practitioner, " The Goal Structuring Notation" is both for those who wish to prepare and present compelling arguments using the notation, and for those who wish to review such arguments critically and effectively.

To emphasise the versatility of this approach" The Goal Structuring Notation" presents examples and questions based on diverse subject areas including Business Management, Drama, Engineering, Politics and Astrobiology. Simple examples introduce each symbol of the notation before introducing more complex structures which illustrate how the symbols work together in practical scenarios. To aid learning, questions and problems augment the text, so that the reader may reflect upon and try out the new concepts and principles presented.

As a comprehensive instruction in the basics of GSN and it's application, "The Goal Structuring Notation "also serves as a references or manual for the practitioner to dip into as problems are encountered or as a key resource for engineers working in those industries which require a clear description of the notation, covering the initial principles and showing why each piece of the notation is necessary.
Originally developed to present safety assurance arguments, GSN need not be so restricted. GSN - The Goal Structuring Notation presents examples from diverse subject areas, including business management, drama, engineering, politics and astrobiology."

E-maintenance is the synthesis of two major trends in today's society: the growing importance of maintenance as a key technology and the rapid development of information and communication technology. E-maintenance gives the reader an overview of the possibilities offered by new and advanced information and communication technology to achieve efficient maintenance solutions in industry, energy production and transportation, thereby supporting sustainable development in society. Sixteen chapters cover a range of different technologies, such as: new micro sensors, on-line lubrication sensors, smart tags for condition monitoring, wireless communication and smart personal digital assistants. E-maintenance also discusses semantic data-structuring solutions; ontology structured communications; implementation of diagnostics and prognostics; and maintenance decision support by economic optimisation. It includes four industrial cases that are both described and analysed in detail, with an outline of a global application solution. E-maintenance is a useful tool for engineers and technicians who wish to develop e-maintenance in industrial sites. It is also a source of new and stimulating ideas for researchers looking to make the next step towards sustainable development.

The measurement oflactate is straightforward and reliable. The sampling is normal ly dependable, although discrepancies between sample sites can occur if samples are drawn during other than steady state conditions or when blood flow to the site is low. Comparison of data between subjects should consider intra- and interindividu al variation. Interpretation of the significance of blood or even a muscle lactate concentration is extremely difficult and neither can be assumed to reflect rates of lactate release or production. Lactate metabolism appears to be very significant in short-term, high intensity work lasting a few seconds, but the exact role remains to be established. Blood lactate and the pulmonary aspects of anaerobic threshold are not necessarily causally related and the significance of anaerobic threshold as a metabolic measure remains obscure. There are numerous examples of changes in blood or muscle lac tate independent of oxygen availability, and factors such as H+ concentration ap pear to play an important, although undefined, role in regulating lactate production and/or release."

The increase in the requirements on the reliability of units makes it necessary to analyze the relationship between mathematicalmeth ods of calculating reliability and the physical nature of fail ures. The difficulty of such an analysis is obvious. On the one hand, in making a representation of the physical picture of a phe nomenon, one can make an error in the direction of excessive sim plification. On the other hand, in the mathematical treatment of the physical scheme, it may be necessary to use extremely complex and fine analytical methods, and their simplified exposition bor ders on vulgarization. Without the aid of a large number of specialists working in the field of analysis and calculation of systems reliability, an ex posi tion of models of failures and their mathematical treatment would be unobtainable. The authors take this opportunity to express their gratitude to Academicians N. G. B r u y vic e h and Y u. V. Lin n i k conversations with whom clarified a number of problems treated, to active member of the Academy of Sciences of the UkrSSR B. V."

In this book, a critical analysis is made on service life models related to reinforcement corrosion. The contributors are on the frontier of knowledge in the field of durability of reinforced concrete. Topics covered in the book include: causes and mechanisms of deterioration, transport mechanisms in concrete, numerical modeling of concrete behavior, durability modeling and prediction, reliability approach to structural design for durability, structural behavior following degradation of concrete structures, deterioration and repair of concrete structures, and corrosion measurement techniques.

Improve Your Service Scalability and Reliability with SRE Pioneered by Google to create more scalable and reliable large-scale systems, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) has become one of today's most valuable software innovation opportunities. Establishing SRE Foundations is a concise, practical guide that shows how to drive successful SRE adoption in your own organization. Dr. Vladyslav Ukis presents a step-by-step approach to establishing the right cultural, organizational, and technical process foundations, quickly achieving a "minimum viable SRE" and continually improving from there. Dr. Ukis draws extensively on his own experiences leading an SRE transformation journey at a major healthcare company. Throughout, he answers specific questions that organizations ask about SRE, identifies pitfalls, and shows how to avoid or overcome them. Whatever your role in software development, engineering, or operations, this guide will help you apply SRE to improve what matters most: user and customer experience. Understand how SRE works, its role in software operations, and the challenges of SRE transformation Assess your organization's current operations and readiness for SRE transformation Achieve organizational buy-in and initiate foundational activities, including SLO definitions, alerting, on-call rotations, incident response, and error budget-based decision-making Align organizational structures to support a full SRE transformation Measure the progress and success of your SRE initiative Sustain and advance your SRE transformation beyond the foundations "The techniques and principles of SRE are not only clearly defined here, but also the rationale behind them is explained in a way that will stick. This is not some dry definition, this is practical, usable understanding. . . . I can whole-heartedly recommend this book without any reservation. This is a very good book on an important topic that helps to move the game forward for our discipline!" --From the Foreword by David Farley, Founder and CEO of Continuous Delivery Ltd. Register your book for convenient access to downloads, updates, and/or corrections as they become available. See inside book for details.

Discusses advances in the field of reliability engineering with real-life applications. Covers consecutive-type reliability structures and applications in the optimization of telecommunication networks, and complex infrared detecting systems. Discusses probabilistic approaches and statistical methods to investigate the performance and the design of reliability structures. Provides simulation-based analyses and real data case studies related to reliability engineering.

Die Europaische Kommission entwickelte ein neues System zur Akkreditierung und Zertifizierung von Waren (New/Global Approach). Es gewahrleistet den freien Warenaustausch technischer Produkte in Europa. Schritt fur Schritt fuhren die Autoren Leser durch den gesamten Ablauf: Wie Sie Zertifizierungsvoraussetzungen fur ihre Produkte bestimmen. Wie Sie Zertifizierer auswahlen. Wie sich die Zertifizierung auswirkt. Dieses anschauliche Handbuch unterstutzt Ingenieure, Betriebswirte, Juristen, Prufer (Zertifizierer) sowie Organisationen. Verstandlich und anhand von Beispielen zeigen die Autoren wie Anwender - auch ohne Vorwissen- mit den komplexen Anforderungen umzugehen haben. Plus: zahlreiche Abbildungen, Checkliste am Ende jedes Kapitels.

Learn the tools to assess product reliability! Haldar and Mahadevan crystallize the research and experience of the last few decades into the most up-to-date book on risk-based design concepts in engineering available. The fundamentals of reliability and statistics necessary for risk-based engineering analysis and design are clearly presented. And with the help of many practical examples integrated throughout the text, the material is made very relevant to today's practice. Key Features
* Covers all the fundamental concepts and mathematical skills needed to conduct reliability assessments.
* Presents the most widely-used reliability assessment methods.
* Concepts that are required for the implementation of risk-based design in practical problems are developed gradually.
* Both risk-based and deterministic design concepts are included to show the transition from traditional to modern design practice.

This book is an update and expansion of topics covered in Guidelines for Mechanical Integrity Systems (2006). The new book is consistent with Risk-Based Process Safety and Life Cycle approaches and includes details on failure modes and mechanisms. Also, example testing an inspection programs is included for various types of equipment and systems. Guidance and examples are provided for selecting and maintaining critical safety systems.

"Applications of Finite Element Methods for Reliability Studies" on ULSI Interconnections provides a detailed description of the application of finite element methods (FEMs) to the study of ULSI interconnect reliability. Over the past two decades the application of FEMs has become widespread and continues to lead to a much better understanding of reliability physics.

To help readers cope with the increasing sophistication of FEMs applications to interconnect reliability, "Applications of Finite Element Methods for Reliability Studies on ULSI Interconnections" will: introduce the principle of FEMs;review numerical modeling of ULSI interconnect reliability;describe the physical mechanism of ULSI interconnect reliability encountered in the electronics industry; anddiscuss in detail the use of FEMs to understand and improve ULSI interconnect reliability from both the physical and practical perspective, incorporating the Monte Carlo method.

A full-scale review of the numerical modeling methodology used in the study of interconnect reliability highlights useful and noteworthy techniques that have been developed recently. Many illustrations are used throughout the book to improve the reader s understanding of the methodology and its verification. Actual experimental results and micrographs on ULSI interconnects are also included.

"Applications of Finite Element Methods for Reliability Studies" on ULSI Interconnections is a good reference for researchers who are working on interconnect reliability modeling, as well as for those who want to know more about FEMs for reliability applications. It gives readers a thorough understanding of the applications of FEM to reliability modeling and an appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of various numerical models for interconnect reliability."

"Normal Accidents" analyzes the social side of technological risk. Charles Perrow argues that the conventional engineering approach to ensuring safety--building in more warnings and safeguards--fails because systems complexity makes failures inevitable. He asserts that typical precautions, by adding to complexity, may help create new categories of accidents. (At Chernobyl, tests of a new safety system helped produce the meltdown and subsequent fire.) By recognizing two dimensions of risk--complex versus linear interactions, and tight versus loose coupling--this book provides a powerful framework for analyzing risks and the organizations that insist we run them.

The first edition fulfilled one reviewer's prediction that it "may mark the beginning of accident research." In the new afterword to this edition Perrow reviews the extensive work on the major accidents of the last fifteen years, including Bhopal, Chernobyl, and the Challenger disaster. The new postscript probes what the author considers to be the "quintessential 'Normal Accident'" of our time: the Y2K computer problem.

Over the last 50 years, the theory and the methods of reliability analysis have developed significantly. Therefore, it is very important to the reliability specialist to be informed of each reliability measure. This book will provide historical developments, current advancements, applications, numerous examples, and many case studies to bring the reader up-to-date with the advancements in this area. It covers reliability engineering in different branches, includes applications to reliability engineering practice, provides numerous examples to illustrate the theoretical results, and offers case studies along with real-world examples. This book is useful to engineering students, research scientist, and practitioners working in the field of reliability.

This book introduces state-of-the-art models and methods based on the neuroendocrine-immune-inspired approaches in the field of manufacturing control systems. It develops various bio-inspired intelligent approaches for multiple applications in order to efficiently generate production plans and control solutions and agilely deal with the frequent unexpected disturbances at the shop floor level. It also provides an introduction to bio-inspired manufacturing systems with intelligent control structures and the latest technologies. Further, the book describes recent advances in the bio-inspired methodology for a high-level adaptability in manufacturing systems, including the bio-inspired control architecture and the implementation of intelligent and adaptive control approaches based on neuroendocrine-immune mechanisms and hormone-regulation principles. It offers a valuable resource for graduate students, researchers and engineers in the fields of production management, manufacturing system control and related areas.

Reliability and Maintenance: Networks and Systems gives an up-to-date presentation of system and network reliability analysis as well as maintenance planning with a focus on applicable models. Balancing theory and practice, it presents state-of-the-art research in key areas of reliability and maintenance theory and includes numerous examples and exercises. Every chapter starts with theoretical foundations and basic models and leads to more sophisticated models and ongoing research. The first part of the book introduces structural reliability theory for binary coherent systems. Within the framework of these systems, the second part covers network reliability analysis. The third part presents simply structured maintenance policies that may help with the cost-optimal scheduling of preventive maintenance. Each part can be read independently of one another. Suitable for researchers, practitioners, and graduate students in engineering, operations research, computer science, and applied mathematics, this book offers a thorough guide to the mathematical modeling of reliability and maintenance. It supplies the necessary theoretical and practical details for readers to perform reliability analyses and apply maintenance policies in their organizations.

Reliability is an essential concept in mathematics, computing, research, and all disciplines of engineering, and reliability as a characteristic is, in fact, a probability. Therefore, in this book, the author uses the statistical approach to reliability modelling along with the MINITAB software package to provide a comprehensive treatment of modelling, from the basics through advanced modelling techniques. The book begins by presenting a thorough grounding in the elements of modelling the lifetime of a single, non-repairable unit. Assuming no prior knowledge of the subject, the author includes a guide to all the fundamentals of probability theory, defines the various measures associated with reliability, then describes and discusses the more common lifetime models: the exponential, Weibull, normal, lognormal and gamma distributions. She concludes the groundwork by looking at ways of choosing and fitting the most appropriate model to a given data set, paying particular attention to two critical points: the effect of censored data and estimating lifetimes in the tail of the distribution. The focus then shifts to topics somewhat more difficult: othe difference in the analysis of lifetimes for repairable versus non-repairable systems and whether repair truly "renews" the system omethods for dealing with system with reliability characteristic specified for more than one component or subsystem othe effect of different types of maintenance strategies othe analysis of life test data The final chapter provides snapshot introductions to a range of advanced models and presents two case studies that illustrate various ideas from throughout the book.

The development of Reliability and Maintenance theory and applications has become major concerns of engineers and managers engaged in order to design and product systems that are highly reliable. This book aims to cover the ongoing research topics in computer system, reliability analysis, reliability applications and maintenance policies, so as to provide awareness for those who engage systems design, being students, technicians, or research engineers, as a reference guidebook.

Statistical Analysis for the Reliability Engineering Professional Effectively conduct reliability analysis using the world's leading statistical software. Reliability Analysis with Minitab (R) outlines statistical concepts and applications, explains the theory of probability, reliability analysis, and quality improvement, and provides step-by-step instruction on the use of Minitab. Minitab introduces reliability analysis tools that can be used to perform tasks that range from checking the distribution fit of lifetime data to estimating the warranty costs of a product. Perform the Analyses Needed to Minimize Product Failures and Reduce Costs Chock full of examples that include numerous case studies and over 200 screenshots, this book is a comprehensive guide to quality and reliability in the service and manufacturing industries. It illustrates the shapes of the most commonly used statistical distributions in reliability analysis, and in simple language demonstrates concepts that include parametric reliability analysis, nonparametric reliability analysis, warranty analysis, accelerated life testing, reliability test plans, and probit analysis. Illustrating the application of Minitab for reliability analysis, this book explains how to: Perform reliability analysis of a product with right-censored and exact failure time data Complete reliability analysis of a product with arbitrarily censored failure time data Achieve nonparametric reliability analysis of a product Predict the amount of money that is needed to cover the warranty costs for products in a specific period of time in the future Analyze the results from accelerated life testing on two different products Determine the reliability test sample size when the test time and the number of failures are constrained Regulate the testing time when test sample size and the number of failures are constrained Compare the reliabilities of parts from different vendors Test whether the reliability of a product depends on certain factors Predict the stress level at which a product will fail after a certain test period

Fluctuation Mechanism and Control on System Instantaneous Availability facilitates the development of modeling and identification skills for both theoretical research and applications. Supplying a systematic introduction to the basic results in fluctuation analysis of instantaneous availability, it covers the theory, methodology, and specific engineering implementation required to conduct equipment instantaneous availability research. Presenting practical methods and tools, the book describes how to control the matching transition of new equipment systems as a result of interactions among sub-systems. It will help readers further extend their research on steady-state availability analysis to the optimization and control over instantaneous availability that is more suitable for engineering practices. The book provides the in-depth research on system instantaneous availability models, solutions, methodology, and frameworks required to investigate system instantaneous availability fluctuations within a certain range. Its chapters are divided into "Basic" and "Applied" components. The Basic chapters introduce the relevant concepts about system availability, the general continuous availability model approximate solution algorithms and problems, the discrete-time systems instantaneous availability model under general probability distribution, and the system instantaneous availability model and stability proof constraint by limited time, respectively. The Applied chapters focus on system instantaneous availability fluctuation analysis and control methods, discrete-time instantaneous availability model comparison and analysis under exponential distribution, system instantaneous availability fluctuations analysis under truncated discrete Weibull distribution, and system instantaneous availability fluctuations optimal design under truncated discrete Weibull distribution. Presenting the material in an accessible manner, the book summarizes current research results and engineering practices. It includes many examples that illustrate the roles of the new modeling methods for instantaneous availability. It also supplies Matlab (R) code for all the calculations performed in the book.

Global Manufacturing Technology Transfer: Africa-USA Strategies, Adaptations, and Management presents practical strategies for developing and sustaining manufacturing technology transfers. It is particularly useful for helping developing nations achieve and sustain a solid footing of economic development through manufacturing. The book examines Africa and USA trade relations to demonstrate how modern technology innovation strategies can be developed and harmonized to keep a nation moving forward economically. It then explores how to advance existing technical relationships through new and updated approaches. The book uses the case and template of trade relations of Africa and the United States to demonstrate how technology innovation strategies can be developed and harmonized to keep a nation moving forward economically. The author discusses project management tools, highlights manufacturing as the foundation for economic development, and explores lessons learned. He details a systems approach, covering both qualitative and quantitative tools and techniques. Although focusing on Africa-USA technology transfer, the concepts are applicable to other technology transfer relationships. Africa is poised to assume a leading role in global manufacturing. However, the foundation for doing so successfully will depend on the development and sustainability of a reliable manufacturing infrastructure in Africa. A key requirement for this will be new and innovative mechanisms for technology transfer. This book gives you the strategies required to address each technology transfer path as well as new innovative approaches for developing and transferring new technology.

The theme of this volume--risk analysis in the private sector--reflects a changing emphasis in risk analysis. Until re cently, attention has been focused on risk analyses conducted in support of federal regulatory decision making. Such analyses have been used to help set safety standards, to illuminate issues of regulatory concern, and to evaluate regulatory alternatives. As this volume indicates, however, risk analysis encompasses a broader set of activities. Analyses performed by private sector institutions aimed at preventing or reducing potential adverse health or environmental effects also play an important part in societal risk management. In virtually all societies, there have been strong incentives for the private sector to conduct such analyses. These incentives range from moral or altruistic norms and values to simple self-interest based on fear of monetary loss, possible civil or criminal litigation, or punitive or restrictive government action. The papers in this volume address the overall theme from a variety of perspectives. Specifically, the papers represent con tributions from such diverse fields as toxicology, epidemiology, chemistry, biology, engineering, statistics, decision analysis, economics, psychology, philosophy, and the law."