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To identify and correct problems with reliability, maintainability, and safety at the component levels for government and commercial clients, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) applies:

• Analytical methods

• Machine design expertise

• Machinery and systems operational experience

System reliability engineering looks at the system as a whole and seeks to evaluate the inherent reliability at the system and component levels, the most likely single point failures modes and how they feed into the system fault tree, potential areas for reliability improvement, and appropriate actions to mitigate the effects of failures.

SwRI provides system reliability engineering support during all phases of the product lifecycle, from conceptual design through prototype to aging equipment well beyond its original design life. A strong emphasis on probabilistic methods and the development and applications of physics of failure (PoF) models for failure rate estimation provides clients with high fidelity reliability assessments and remaining life forecasts.

Reliability Engineering Services

• System and component reliability assessments

• Failure modes, effects, and criticality assessments (FMECA) (MIL-STD-1629A, API-14, industry standards)

• Reliability block diagram assessments

• Fault tree assessments (FTA)

• Event tree assessments (ETA)

• System safety assessments (MIL-STD-882D)

• Hazards analysis (HA)

• Reliability growth modeling

• Condition-based maintenance (CBM) assessments

• Reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) assessments

• Probabilistic risk-based maintenance optimization

• Forensic failure analysis of machinery, hydraulic, and fluid systems including root cause analysis

• Maintenance record data mining and Weibull parameter fitting

• Economic analysis of maintenance alternatives

• Specialized testing (laboratory and field)

Recent clients include the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, the U.S. Air Force, and prime defense contractors, foreign and domestic oil and gas companies, electric utilities, chemical process industries, and food processors.

System Reliability Engineering Short Courses

In addition, SwRI provides customized on-site short course training for:

• Bolted joint design and analysis

• Reciprocating machinery foundation design

• Rolling element bearing analysis

• Hydraulic systems maintenance

• Forensic failure analysis for field and plant personnel

For more information about system reliability engineering capabilities at SwRI or how you can contract with SwRI, please contact Daniel Pomerening at dpomerening@swri.org or (210) 522-2318.
 

| Structural and Mechanical Engineering Department | Mechanical & Materials Engineering Division | SwRI Home |

Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a multidisciplinary, independent, nonprofit, applied engineering and physical sciences research and development organization with 11 technical divisions.

June 26, 2008