Unit Outline

Reliability engineering utilises statistical tools and analysis techniques, along with sophisticated risk and asset management principles, to analyse and assess the condition of components or systems over their lifecycle. A substantial statistical foundation is established in this unit, from which system reliability, maintainability and availability may be carefully and accurately assessed. This extends to critically and procedurally investigating the causes of system failures, and allows the identification of cost-effective proactive, preventative or corrective maintenance measures. This unit provides a comprehensive coverage of: Data handling, treatment of measurement uncertainties, and empirical reliability modelling; Probability concepts and distributions, allowing for reliability prediction and modelling; Availability assessment and stochastic modelling; Failure analysis through Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Failure Mode Effect and Criticality Analysis (FMECA); Systemability and the sustainable operation of systems within uncertain environments.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Assess the reliability of engineering components and systems using asset management, risk management and statistical tools.
2	Analyse operational data and uncertainties from sensors to monitor a condition or control a process.
3	Investigate and predict causes and effects of incidents or failures using Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Failure Mode Effect and Criticality Analysis (FMECA).
4	Assess the availability of repairable components and systems using statistical techniques and stochastic analysis.
5	Explain how reliability principles contribute to balancing economic, social and environmental sustainability considerations in engineering facilities, assets or systems.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	ENG223 or JEE125 or KAA113 KME272

Alterations as a result of student feedback

It will be aimed to distribute assignments in advance to give students ample notice on this to complete prior to the submission deadline.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Test 1	Week 4	10 %	LO1, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Lab 1	Week 7	20 %	LO1, LO2
Assessment Task 3:	Test 2	Week 8	15 %	LO1, LO4
Assessment Task 4:	RCA/FMECA case study	Week 9	20 %	LO3, LO5
Assessment Task 5:	Life Data Analysis and Maintainability Assignment	Week 12	15 %	LO1, LO2, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 6:	Test 3	Week 12	20 %	LO1, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Test 1

Task Description:

A 50 minute test will be held in week 4 during the scheduled class time. The test will cover topics taught in the previous 3 weeks.

Task Length:

50 minutes

Due Date:

Week 4

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Solve complex statistical problems involving reliability and availability concepts, using appropriate methods and statistical techniques to draw logical conclusions.	LO1, LO4

Assessment Task 2: Lab 1

Task Description:

Data is to be collected in a fluid mechanics experiment for undertaking an uncertainty analysis to determine the levels of accuracy in the instrumentation used.

Please note that GenAI is not permitted for this task.

Task Length:

Lab report length of maximum 8 pages excluding appendices.

Due Date:

Week 7

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Explain the experimental method and apply theoretical analysis to develop mathematical expressions.	LO1, LO2
2	Present results with graphs and tabulated data, include a discussion of experimental results for comparison to theory, and formulate conclusions.	LO1, LO2

Assessment Task 3: Test 2

Task Description:

A 50 minute test will be held in week 8 during the scheduled class time. The test will cover topics taught in the previous 4 weeks.

Task Length:

50 minutes

Due Date:

Week 8

Weight:

15 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Solve complex statistical problems involving reliability and availability concepts, using appropriate methods and statistical techniques to draw logical conclusions.	LO1, LO4

Assessment Task 4: RCA/FMECA case study

Task Description:

You will be given case study and be required to apply Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and
Failure Mode Effect and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) tools to predict causes and effects of failure.

If ILO 3 is not met in this assignment a resubmission will be permitted with capped marks.

Please note that GenAI is permitted but must be acknowledged.

Task Length:

Up to 10 pages.

Due Date:

Week 9

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Apply the principles of root cause analysis to a practical scenario to identify and analyse the causes of a failure.	LO3
2	Apply the principles of failure mode, effect and criticality analysis to a practical scenario to identify the potential failure modes of a system, incorporating the severity and probability of these failure modes.	LO3
3	Apply reliability principles and failure mode investigation to critically evaluate the role of economic, social and environmental considerations in maintaining and operating engineering facilities, assets or systems.	LO5

Assessment Task 5: Life Data Analysis and Maintainability Assignment

Task Description:

This assignment requires students to analyse data associated with multiple failure modes of a given system. It involves analysing a large data set to determine empirical failure models, fitting statistical models and assessing the goodness of fit, applying stochastic modelling to determine maintenance strategies.

Please note that GenAI is permitted but must be acknowledged.

Task Length:

Up to 10 pages.

Due Date:

Week 12

Weight:

15 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Apply statistical techniques to problems involving reliability concepts, using appropriate methods, to draw logical conclusions.	LO1, LO4
2	Present and report on statistical information, including the discussion of simulation results, and draw conclusions on maintenance and reliability improvement strategies.	LO2, LO5

Assessment Task 6: Test 3

Task Description:

A 110 minute test will be held in week 12 during the scheduled class time. The test will cover topics taught in the previous 4 weeks.

Task Length:

110 minutes

Due Date:

Week 12

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Solve complex statistical problems involving reliability and availability concepts, using appropriate methods and statistical techniques to draw logical conclusions.	LO1, LO4

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

1. To pass ILO 1 your aggregate mark on the components of Test 3 and the Life Data assignment assessing ILO 1 weighted according to their contribution to the final mark, must be greater than or equal to 50%.

2. To pass ILO 2 your aggregate mark on the components of the Laboratory task and the Life Data assignment assessing ILO 2 weighted according to their contribution to the final mark, must be greater than or equal to 50%.

3. To pass ILO 3 your aggregate mark on the RCA/FMECA case study, must be greater than or equal to 50%. If you have not passed the required assessment, we may offer an ILO supplementary assessment opportunity to demonstrate achievement.

4. To pass ILO 4 your aggregate mark on the components of Test 2 and Test 3 assessing ILO 4 weighted according to their contribution to the final mark, must be greater than or equal to 50%.

5. To pass ILO 5 your aggregate mark on the components of the RCA/FMECA case study and the Life Data assignment assessing ILO 5 weighted according to their contribution to the final mark, must be greater than or equal to 50%.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.