Failure-time distribution of electronic components

A study was conducted with the objective of upgrading the level of reliability prediction of military electronic equipment manufactured at AC Spark Plug. The results of that study are presented. Military Handbook 217 had been used to predict the reliability of this equipment. The approach assumed an exponential distribution (i.e. constant failure rate). The study indicated that this approach was not representative of the field reliability achieved by this electronic equipment, and that a constantly decreasing failure rate more accurately described the failure distribution. A combination of Military Handbook 217 procedures and Weibull distribution techniques was found to more closely approximate field reliability. The methodology used for prediction the reliability of the electronic equipment exhibiting a constantly decreasing failure rate, is also detailed