Dodson, Bryan (1999, ASQ) Continental Teves, Auburn Hills, MI
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Parameter estimation, accelerated testing, and tolerance design are three areas in which reliability modeling is amenable to spreadsheet analysis. For parameter estimation, two examples demonstrate how to use spreadsheets for constructing lognormal and Weibull hazard plots of test data. Spreadsheets allow relatively easy implementation of the maximum likelihood estimation method, an example of which is given for Weibull distribution parameters. For accelerated testing, an example shows the application of spreadsheets to Arrhenius and Eyring modeling of acceleration factors. For tolerance design, spreadsheets facilitate the study of component tolerances and distribution factors. Spreadsheets can generate random numbers and produce simulation results for tolerance experiments.