Optimum Simple Step-Stress Accelerated Life Tests Under Periodic Observation

This paper presents optimum simple step-stress accelerated life test plans for the case where the test process is observed periodically at intervals of the same length. Two types of failure data, periodically observed complete data and periodically observed censored data, are considered. An exponential life distribution with a mean that is a log-linear function of stress, and a cumulative exposure model for the effect of changing stress are assumed. For each type of data, the optimum test plan which minimizes the asymptotic variance of the maximum likelihood estimator of the mean life at a design stress is obtained and its behaviors are studied.