An introduction to system reliability analysis

This paper introduces some of the concepts employed in a system reliability analysis and discusses applications and factors affecting actual reliability performance. It is important to understand how the component failure rates are derived, and how they are combined to estimate the reliability of a particular sub-system. Some of the methods that are used to translate the reliability of sub-systems into the overall system reliability are also discussed, as well as the implications for both the quality of service and the maintenance burden of the system