• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• 제38권12호
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• pp.1379-1385
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• 2014

Even the rough prediction of the product test time before the lifetime test of mechanical component begins would be of use in estimating cost and deciding how to keep up with the test. The reliability predictions of mechanical components are difficult because failure or degradation mechanisms are complicated, and few plausible databases are available for lifetime prediction. Therefore, this study conducted lifetime predictions of elastomeric U seals that were respectively installed in a hydraulic actuator and a pneumatic actuator using lifetime models and a field database based on failure physics and an actual test database obtained from the NSWC handbook. To validate the results, the predicted failure rates were compared with the actual lifetime test results acquired in the lab durability tests. Finally, this study discussed an engineering procedure to determine the coefficients in the failure rate models and analyzed the sensitivity of each influential parameter on the seal lifetime.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• 제41권2호
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• pp.125-133
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• 2017

This paper presents the inter-rater reliability of finger spasticity assessment tested realized by using finger simulator that mimics finger spasticity of patients after a stroke. For controlling the simulator torque, finger spasticity was modeled, and the model parameters were obtained by measuring quantitative data while grading based on Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS). A robotic finger simulator was designed for mimicking finger spasticity. Evaluation of this simulator with the help of seven rehabilitation doctors showed that the simulator had a Cohen's kappa value of 0.619 for Metacarpophalangeal Joint and 0.514 for Proximal Interphalangeal Joint. Fleiss' kappa between raters is 0.513 for Metacarpophalangeal Joint and 0.486 for Proximal Interphalangeal Joint. Therefore, the spasticity assessment made by MAS grade system is not reliable owing to the subjectivity of the assessment. The proposed robotic simulator can be used as a training tool for improving the reliability of the spasticity assessment.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• 제15권5호
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• pp.2603-2609
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• 2014

Reliability analysis of mechanical systems requires statistical modeling of input random variables such as distribution function types and statistical parameters that affect the performance of the mechanical systems. Some random variables are correlated, but considered as independent variables or wrong assumptions on input random variables have been used. In this paper, joint distributions were modeled using copulas and Bayesian method from limited number of data. To verify the proposed method, statistical simulation tests were carried out for various number of samples and correlation coefficients. As a result, the Bayesian method selected the most probable copula types among candidate copulas even though the candidate copula shapes are similar for low correlations or the number of data is limited. The most probable copulas also yielded similar reliabilities with the true reliability obtained from a true copula, so that it can be concluded that the Bayesian method provides accurate statistical modeling for the reliability analysis.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• 제47권8호
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• pp.500-507
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• 2009

Pb-free solder has recently been used in electronics in efforts to meet environmental regulations, and a number of Pb-free solder alloy choices beyond the near-eutectic SnAgCu solder are now available. With increased demand for thin and portable electronics, the high cost of alloys containing significant amounts of silver and their poor mechanical shock performance have spurred the development of low Ag SnAgCu solder, which provides improved mechanical performance at a reasonable cost. Although low Ag SnAgCu solder exhibits significantly higher fracture resistance under high-strain rates, little thermal fatigue data exist for this solder. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate thermal fatigue reliability of low Ag SnAgCu solder under variation of thermal stress in order to allow its implementation in electronic products with high reliability requirements. In this study, the reliability of Sn0.3Ag0.7Cu(SAC0307), a low Ag solder alloy, is discussed and compared with that of Sn3Ag0.5Cu(SAC305). Three sample types and six samples size are evaluated. Mechanical properties and microstructure of the solder joint are investigated under thermal shock cycles. It was observed that the mechanical strength of SAC0307 dropped slightly with thermal cycling relative to that of SAC305. This reveals that the failure mode of SAC0307 is different from that SAC305 under this critical condition.

• Journal of Applied Reliability
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• 제16권4호
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• pp.287-294
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• 2016

Purpose: Environment test support is urgent for small and medium defense companies in order to improve the reliability of weapons systems. Also, to reduce the burden of test costs, the voucher system must be strengthened. Quality assurance support should be accompanied by budget support. Methods: First of all, it is necessary to expand infrastructure for test equipment that suffers shortages by considering environmental test frequency and waiting periods to reduce the time required for environmental tests. Results: In regard to the environmental test, expansion for test equipment infrastructure, security of budget for the test, establishment of test plan, education and consulting support are required to resolve some limits of small and medium defense companies. Conclusion: Along with the opening of environmental test courses for industry operators, the expansion for consulting support projects of the defense industry support system is needed.

• International Journal of Automotive Technology
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.93-102
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• 2007

The frontal crash optimization of an engine room member using the response surface method was studied. The engine room member is composed of the front side member and the sub-frame. The thicknesses of the panels on the front side member and the sub-frame were selected as the design variables. The purpose of the optimization was to reduce the weight of the structure, under the constraint that the objective quantity of crash energy is absorbed. The response surface method was used to approximate the crash behavior in mathematical form for optimization procedure. To research the effect of the regression method, two different methodologies were used in constructing the response surface model, the least square method and the moving least square method. The optimum with the two methods was verified by the simulation result. The precision of the surrogate model affected the optimal design. The moving least square method showed better approximation than the least square method. In addition to the deterministic optimization, the reliability-based design optimization using the response surface method was executed to examine the effect of uncertainties in design variables. The requirement for reliability made the optimal structure be heavier than the result of the deterministic optimization. Compared with the deterministic optimum, the optimal design using the reliability-based design optimization showed higher crash energy absorption and little probability of failure in achieving the objective.

• International Journal of CAD/CAM
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• 제9권1호
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• pp.1-16
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• 2010

When Deterministic Design Optimization (DDO) methods are used, deterministic optimum designs are frequently pushed to the design constraint boundary, leaving little or no room for tolerances (or uncertainties) in design, manufacture, and operating processes. In the Reliability-Based Design Optimization (RBDO) model for robust system design, the mean values of uncertain system variables are usually used as design variables, and the cost is optimized subject to prescribed probabilistic constraints as defined by a nonlinear mathematical programming problem. Therefore, a RBDO solution that reduces the structural weight in uncritical regions does not only provide an improved design but also a higher level of confidence in the design. In this work, we seek to improve the quality of RBDO processes using efficient optimization techniques with object of improving the resulting objective function and satisfying the required constraints. Our recent RBDO developments show its efficiency and applicability in this context. So we present some recent structural engineering applications demonstrate the efficiency of these developed RBDO methods.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.14-22
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• 2021

A plan for the development of reliability-based ROK amphibious assault vehicles is proposed. By analyzing the development case of the U.S. EFV, considerations for the successful development of the next-generation Korea Forces amphibious assault vehicle are presented. If the vehicle reliability can be improved to the level of the fourth highest priority electric unit for power units, suspensions, decelerators, and body groups, which have the highest priority among fault frequency items, a system level MTBF of 36.4%↑ can be achieved, and the operational availability can be increased by 3.5%↑. The next-generation amphibious assault vehicles must fulfill certain operating and performance requirements, the underlying systems must be built, and sequencing of the hybrid engine and the modular concept should be considered. Along with big-data- and machine-learning-based failure prediction, machine maintenance based on augmented reality/virtual reality and remote maintenance should be used to improve the ability to maintain combat readiness and reduce lifecycle costs.

• International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.50-53
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• 2007

Improving the reliability or long-term dependability of a system requires a different approach from the previous emphasis on short-term concerns. The purpose of this paper is to present a reliability evaluation method for an oil cooler intended for high-precision machining centers. The oil cooler system in question is a cooling device that minimizes the deformation caused from the heat generated by driving devices. This system is used for machine tools and semiconductor equipment. We predicted the reliability of the system based on the failure rate database and conducted the reliability test using a test-bed to evaluate the life of the oil cooler. The results provided an indication of the reliability of the system in terms of the failure rate and the MTBF of the oil cooler system and its components, as well as a distribution of the failure mode. These results will help increase the reliability of oil cooler systems. The evaluation method can also be used to determine the reliability of other machinery products.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• 제33권10호
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• pp.1163-1170
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• 2009

Reliability analysis is of great importance in the advanced product design, which is to evaluate reliability due to the associated uncertainties. There are three types of uncertainties: the first is the aleatory uncertainty which is related with inherent physical randomness that is completely described by a suitable probability model. The second is the epistemic uncertainty, which results from the lack of knowledge due to the insufficient data. These two uncertainties are encountered in the input variables such as dimensional tolerances, material properties and loading conditions. The third is the metamodel uncertainty which arises from the approximation of the response function. In this study, an integrated method for the reliability analysis is proposed that can address all these uncertainties in a single Bayesian framework. Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method is employed to facilitate the simulation of the posterior distribution. Mathematical and engineering examples are used to demonstrate the proposed method.