Purpose: In this paper, we investigate whether the endeavors for Six Sigma quality management by a firm have positive effects on its financial performance and the length of Six Sigma implemented period affects its financial status. We find a relationship between Six Sigma implemented period and several financial performance index using a smoothing spline function. Methods: A smoothing spline function is used in order to analyze the relationship between efforts for quality management and financial performance. Specifically, the return on assets, return on equity, sales cost and business fee are investigated as dependent variables and the efforts for quality management as independent variable. Results: As a result of the analysis, the indication is that companies that put effects into the Six Sigma quality management have a positive result in its financial status. In detail, the efforts for Six Sigma quality management have positive effects on total asset turnover ratio and Six Sigma implemented period on net income to net sales ratio. Additionally, companies with longer (shorter) period of Six Sigma program have more (less) improvement in its financial status. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the company's efforts for quality management positively influence financial performance.

Purpose: Majority of bridges and roads in Gangwon Province have been carrying loads associated with heavy materials such as rocks, mining products, and cement. This location-specific live loads have contributed to the present situation of overloading, compared to other provinces in Korea. However, the bridges in Gangwon province are designed by national bridge design specification, without considering the location-specific live load characteristics. Therefore, this study focuses on the real traffic data accumulated on regional weighing station to verify the live load characteristics, including actual live load gross vehicle weight, axle weight axle spacings, and number of trucks. Methods: In order to take into account the location specific live load, a governmental weigh station (38th national highway Miro) have been selected and the passing truck data are processed. Based on the truck survey, trucks are categorized into 3 different shapes, and each shape has been idealized into normal distribution. Then, the resulting survey data are processed to predict the target maximum live load values, including the axle loads and gross vehicle weights in 75 years service life span. Results: The results are compared to the nationally used DB-24 live loads, and the results show that nationally recognized DB-24 live load does not sufficiently represent real traffic in mountaineous region in Gangwon province. Conclusion: The comparison results in the recommendation of location-specific live load that should be taken into account for bridge design and evaluation.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to get a meaningful information for improving manufacturing quality of the products before they are produced in client's manufacturing process. Methods: A variety of data mining techniques have been being used for wide range of industries from process data in manufacturing factories for quality improvement. One application of those is to get meaningful information from process data in manufacturing factories for quality improvement. In this paper, the failure rate at client's manufacturing process is predicted by using the parameters of the characteristics of the product based on PCA (Principle Component Analysis) and regression analysis. Results: Through a case study, we proposed the predicting methodology and regression model. The proposed model is verified through comparing the failure rates of actual data and the estimated value. Conclusion: This study can provide the guidance for predicting the failure rate on the manufacturing process. And the manufacturers can prevent the defects by confirming the factor which affects the failure rate.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze fracture behavior and failure mechanism of porous titanium for dental implant fabricated by space holder process. Method: Three porous titanium specimens with a specific volume fraction of open pore were test by 3 point bending and compression stress condition, respectively. Fracture appearance was observed by scanning electron microscope and discussed in relation with oxygen content. Results: For compression-tested specimens, two specimen showed brittle failure, while the other one showed normal failure after deformation. High oxygen content was detected in the brittle-fractured specimen. Several micro-cracks initiated at the struts propagated down to the bottom of the specimen resulting in normal failure. Conclusion: Oxygen contamination during the fabrication process can leads brittle premature failure, and hence quality problem of the porous titanium for dental implant.

Purpose: Biswas and Sarkar [11] found the availability of a system maintained through several imperfect repairs before a replacement is allowed. However they missed a part of coefficients in the integration. This paper corrects the erratum of Biswas and Sarkar [11] and performs the reliability analysis incorporating the optimal number of imperfect repairs. Methods: To find the singularities and residues of the suitable complex-valued function for the availability, the computer package Matlab is used. Also the performance measures are calculated by defining and assigning costs. Results: The accurate availability functions with respect to the numbers of imperfect repairs and the optimal number of imperfect repairs before a replacement are obtained. Conclusion: The reliability for a system under imperfect repair before a replacement is analyzed using Fourier transform technique.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to suggest an environmental test plan for reducing early failure. Methods: We study the preferred test design and tests that are performed substantially in the company. We investigate the environmental profile on the actual supply chain and identify the effectiveness for this test design. Results: Proposed sequential test designed to implement the supply chain on the environment profile showed more effective results compared to existing tests. Conclusion: Suggested sequential test in this paper will be an effective guidance for the given environment test.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate durability of platform safety step system in railway. Method: We performed finite element analysis & durability analysis of platform safety step system with VPD (Virtual Product Development) techniques and examined the durability standard & qualification life through the rig test during no failure test time in reliability qualification test. We continued to test 1 million cycles in KRS (Korea Railway Standard) for system's robust design performance. Result: FEM analysis results are 14.9MPa & 14.7MPa of pin-joint, pivot and durability analysis result is above 1 million cycles. we calculated theoretically no failure test time 855,000 cycles and through the 1 million cycles durability rig test in KRS standard we confirmed product quality. Conclusion: This platform safety step system was designed very safe in terms of a mechanical strength & durability.

Purpose: Many domestic companies have to make out quantitative evaluation table in their proposal when they conduct the software R&D project. However, most of companies have a difficulty to select the evaluation items and criteria, also to derive a quantitative results. Therefore, we propose a method to derive the quantitative evaluation index by utilizing the ISO/IEC 9126-2. Methods: Analyzing ISO/IEC 9126-2, and we classify the quality metrics as high-classification and sub-classification for Web/App software, Embedded software and Installation software. Next, Conduct the metrics selection survey depending on importance and necessity. Then, carry out the case study. Verify the correspondence between evaluation items and criteria from original suggestion of company and from outcome by utilizing the ISO/IEC 9126-2 quality metrics. Results: It is possible to classify into two metrics, one for common software or one another for only special software. Furthermore, there is quality metrics that is more important and more necessary depending upon characteristics of the software. Conclusion: ISO/IEC 9126-2 quality metrics can be used to make an evaluation items and criteria for quantitative evaluation table of software product.

Purpose: To evaluate statistical differences among three measurements of range of motion (ROM) with Rapael Smart Glove (RSG) group 1, 2 and manual goniometer group. To investigate reference value of the kinematic analysis for range of motion (ROM) of distal upper extremity with Rapael Smart Glove (RSG). Methods: Sixteen normal persons without limitation of motion (LOM) enrolled in the study. The study was performed at two separate times and by two investigators on 16 normal adults. We compared ROM with RSG for measuring joint angles. We compared degrees of forearm supination/pronation, wrist flexion/extension and radial deviation/ulnar deviation during ROM of 16 participants using RSG. After one week, degrees of each motion were measured in the same way by other investigator to evaluate the reliability. Results: Statistical differences among three groups were showed. Most results of paired t-test between two RSG groups were over 0.05 and exceptions are supination, extension, and finger %. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that ROM of normal persons obtained by kinematic analysis with RSG are not valid as normal reference value for distal upper extremity motion. But, the reliability of between two RSG groups was showed with paired t-test and Pearson's correlation except supination, extension and finger %.

Purpose: Purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of particle size as well as number of pass on surface microstructure and hardness of SiC(p)/AZ31 surface composite fabricated by friction stir process (FSP). Method: SiC(p)/AZ31 surface composite containing different size of SiC particle (i. e., $2{\mu}m$ and $8{\mu}m$) was fabricated by multi-pass FSP. Microstructure was observed by scanning electron microscope and surface hardness was determined by Vickers hardness tester. Results: For all the FSPed specimens with and without hardening particles, grain size was refined due to dynamic recrystallization behavior. Surface hardness was observed to increase with decreasing particle size in the composite layer. Increasing number of FSP pass was effective for homogeneous distribution of the hardening particles and for resulting increase in surface hardness. Conclusion: FSP was effective to modify surface microstructure for improving surface hardness of SiC/AZ31 composite.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the failure modes of an auto transfer switch (ATS), determine the most common failure mechanisms, and iterate the design to improve reliability. Methods: We carried out failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) to determine the failure modes and mechanisms. We identified the parts or modules that required improvement via two-stage quality function deployment based on FMEA, and improvements to reliability were monitored using the Gomperz growth model. Results: The main failure modes of the ATS were damage to, and deformation of, the stator / movable element due to repetitive movements. Five iterations of design modification were carried out, and the mean time to failure (MTTF) increased to 14,539 cycles, corresponding to 85% of the target MTTF. The Gompertz growth model indicates that the 10th iteration of design modification is expected to achieve the target MTTF. Conclusion: We improved the reliability of mechanical parts via failure mode analysis, and characterized the iterative improvements in the MTTF using the Gompertz growth model.