This paper considers accelerated thermal degradation tests which are performed for rubber seal materials used for undersea tunnels constructed by immersion method. Three types of rubber seals are tested; rubber expansion seal, omega seal, and shock absorber hose. Main ingredient of rubber expansion seal is EPDM(Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) and that of both omega seal and shock absorber hose is SBR(Styrene Butadiene Rubber). The accelerated stress is temperature and an Arrhenius model is introduced to describe the relationship between the lifetime and the stress. From the accelerated degradation tests, dominant failure mode of the rubber seals is found to be the loss of elongation. The lifetime distribution and the service life of the rubber seals at use condition are estimated from the test results. The acceleration factor for three types of rubber seals are also investigated.

Accelerated and field degradation tests are performed for reliability assessment of an anticorrosive paint for steel structures. Test data were analyzed to obtain the degradation model and the life time distributions of the paint. A power law degradation model and lognormal performance distribution were used to predict the lifetime of the anticorrosive paint and the method of finding an acceleration factor is provided.

There are a lot of different data in a company. Some of the data can be modified to produce valuable information on reliability. In this study different types of data that can be obtained in a company are reviewed. Reliability related data that can be taken throughout the life cycle of a product are also reviewed. Developing a method of gathering all of the pertinent data from the various sources and databases and pulling them into one central location is explained.

The airbag module is an inflatable restraint system that inflates within 0.05 seconds automatically in a collision to protect the occupants. The airbag fabrics used in the module are required to have the good resilience and strength and also to have retained at least 80% of mechanical properties after using longer than 10 years. In this study, we develop an accelerated test method in order to predict the lifetimes of airbag. In this test, we select temperature and humidity as environmental stresses by analyzing the failure mechanisms of coated and uncoated nylon 66 fabrics. It is found that the degradation of airbag fabrics is effectively accelerated under the combined conditions of high temperature and humidity. Analyzing the results of the accelerated test, the lifetimes of airbag fabrics are predicted to be longer than 10 years.

PSA (Pressure Sensitive Adhesive) is used for various purposes in electronic appliances such as double-sided tape for fitting parts, product's name plate, and surface protecting film, and so forth. In several kinds of PSAs, this paper dealt with the failure analysis of PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) acrylic adhesive tapes. The causes of interface failure were investigated through the test of adhesive strength, thickness, and structure. And test standard methods to prevent recurrences were established.

One of the recent hot issues in the manufacturing business is how to incorporate environmental attributes into product and process design. Design for environment considers the potential environmental impact of a product throughout its life-cycle. In the case of something breaks, it can become waste immediately, hence reliability and durability is the essential part of product design. This paper presents reliability technology for sustainable product design to improve the product longevity that extends performance life, serviceability and durability. The presented method will help to develop a sound design and avoid weak links to minimize the waste.

This paper describes the issues that must be considered for the diagnosis and improvement of home network systems during the product development phase, and what must be done to resolve the reliability problem when a system is about to enter the Japanese market. It suggests that after the product specifications are determined, an accurate analysis of the environment is needed, and should include factors such as the temperature, humidity and power source of the country concerned. Furthermore, the video standards, residential complex installation environment, wiring specifications, and approval standards must be considered. All the above processes are described in this paper through the case study. The purpose of this paper is that suggested procedures in this research is to be used as a reference for developing similar products in the future.