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BACK TO BOOK REVIEWS
Detailed review of:
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Handbook of Reliability Engineering
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Publishers:
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Springer
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Editor:
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Hoang Pham
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Title:
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Handbook of Reliability Engineering
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Year of Publication:
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2003
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Pages:
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663
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ISBN:
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1852334533
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Reviewer:
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Krishna B. Misra
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There are 35 chapters, organized in five parts, written by 50 authors. The table of contents runs as follows:
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Preface
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3-pages
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Contents
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17-pages
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Contributors
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3-pages
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Chapter #
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Title Authors
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Part I
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System Reliability and Optimization
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114-pages
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1
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Multi-state k-out-of-n Systems
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M.J.Zuo, J.Huang & W.Kuo
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15-pages
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2
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Reliability of Systems with Multiple Failure Modes
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Hong Pham
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18-pages
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3
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Reliability of Consecutive-k Systems
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J-C.Chang & F.K. Hwang
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23-pages
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4
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Multi-state System Reliability Analysis and Optimization
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G.Levitin & A. Lisnianski
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30-pages
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5
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Combinatorial Reliability Optimization
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C.S. Sung, Y.K.Cho & S.H.Song
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24-pages
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Part II
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Statistical Reliability Theory
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84-pages
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6
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Modeling the Observed Failure Rate
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M.S. Finkelstein
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23-pages
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7
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Concepts of Stochastic Dependence in Reliability Analysis
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C. D.Lai & M .Xie
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16-pages
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8
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Statistical Reliability Change-point Estimation Models
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M. Zhao
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7-pages
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9
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Concepts and Applications of Stochastic Aging in Reliability
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C. D.Lai & M .Xie
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16-pages
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10
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Class of NBU-t0 Life Distributions
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D. H. Park
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17-pages
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Part III
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Software Reliability
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104-pages
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11
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Software Reliability Models: A Selective Survey and New Directions
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S R. Dalal
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11-pages
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12
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Software Reliability Modeling
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J. Ledoux
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22-pages
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13
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Software Availability Theory and Its Applications
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K.Tokuno & S. Yamada
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10-pages
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14
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Software Rejuvenation: Modeling and Applications
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T.Dohi, K. G-Popstojanova, K. Vaidyanathan, K.S.Trivedi & S. Osaki
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19-pages
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15
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Software Reliability Management: Techniques and Applications
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M.Kimura & S. Yamada
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20-pages
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16
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Recent Studies in Software Reliability Engineering
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Hoang Pham
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18-pages
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Part IV
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Maintenance Theory and Testing
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167-pages
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17
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Warranty and Maintenance
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D.N.P.Murty & N.Jack
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12-pages
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18
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Mechanical Reliability and Maintenance Models
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G.Pulcini
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32-pages
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19
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Preventive Maintenance Models: Replacement, Repair, Ordering, and Inspection
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T.Dohi, N.Kaio and S. Osaki
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18-pages
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20
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Maintenance and Optimum Policy
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T. Nakagawa
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29-pages
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21
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Optimum Imperfect Maintenance Models
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H.Wang & H.Pham
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18-pages
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22
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Accelerated Life Testing
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E.A. Elsayed
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14-pages
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23
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Accelerated Test Models with the Birnbaum-Saunders Distributions
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W. J.Owen & W.J.Padgett
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11-pages
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24
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Multiple-steps Step-stress Accelerated Life Test
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L-C. Tang
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15-pages
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25
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Step-stress Accelerated Life Testing
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C. Xiong
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13-pages
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Part V
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Practices and Emerging Applications
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181-pages
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26
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Statistical Methods for Reliability Data Analysis
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M. J. Phillips
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18-pages
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27
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The Application of Capture-Recapture Methods in Reliability Studies
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P.S.F. Yip,Y.Wang & A. Chao
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18-pages
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28
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Reliability of Electric Power Systems
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R. Billinton & R.N, Allan
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18-pages
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29
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Human and Medical Device Reliability
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B.S.Dhillon
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13-pages
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30
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Probabilistic Risk Assessment
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R. A. Bari
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15-pages
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31
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Total Dependability Management
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P.A. Akersten & B. Klefsjo
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7-pages
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32
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Total Quality for Software Engineering Management
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G.Albeanu & P.Vladicescu
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18-pages
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33
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Software Fault Tolerance
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X. Teng & H.Pham
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27-pages
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34
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Markovian Dependability/Performability Modeling of Fault-tolerant Systems
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J.A. Carrasco
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30-pages
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35
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Random-request Availability
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K. W. Lee
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10-pages
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Index
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11-pages
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The editor of the Handbook is the Chief Editor of an International Journal, of Reliability, Quality and Safety Engineering, published by World Scientific, for many years. He brought out a book in 2001, titled
Recent Advances in Reliability and Quality Engineering, which was also published by World Scientific and had authored a book on Software Reliability in 2000, which was published by Springer. Now the editor has brought out a Handbook on Reliability Engineering, which it is claimed contains recent developments in reliability engineering besides devoting 104 pages to Software Reliability.
HAlthough the reviewer feels that publishers must bring out Handbooks occasionally to highlight the new developments in a subject but such handbooks should be well-structured and should not address the routine subject matter that can be easily found in other textbooks on the subject. For example, there are several excellent texts available on the subject of k-out-of-m systems. The two authors (Zuo and Kuo) of the first chapter have produced a book recently (2003) on Optimum Reliability Modeling: Principles and Applications, published by John Wiley in which they discuss analysis and design of k-out-of-m and consecutive systems over nearly 300 pages including 52 pages on multi-state systems. The same is true about the chapter 4. Although it may be argued that the subject of reliability engineering is so vast that it is difficult to do justice to all areas. But important areas like Fault Trees where several new developments have taken place in the recent past should have found a place in such a Handbook. The same can be said about the treatment of common-cause failures, although the editor has covered analysis of systems with multi-mode failures in chapter 2. But a separate section of software reliability, particularly when the editor has published a book on software reliability around the same period is not well-received. Reliability testing and demonstration is a very important activity of reliability programme and the editor has done well in covering this topic but he should have organized a separate section on life testing. Chapter 22 on Accelerated Life Testing is a routine chapter which does not broach the topics like HAST and HASS or MEOST. Environmental testing which forms an integral part of any reliability demonstration programme does not find any coverage. The reviewer does not see any reason of not including two chapters 32 and 33 as a part of Part III. There are several new developments that have taken place in Human Reliability Assessment but it does not find explicit discussion in the handbook. Data Analysis which is an important activity of reliability analysis has been discussed but should have found a prominent place in the Handbook. Apart from the above shortcomings, the Handbook does well in discussing some of the important elements of reliability engineering subject.
Certainly, there are some new topics included in the Handbook which make it a valuable addition to the literature and the reviewer would like to recommend the Handbook to practitioners and serious minded students and teachers.
K. B. Misra
This review was published in the International Journal of Performability Engineering, Vol. 3, No. 3, July 2007 issue on page 388.
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