April 2016 Edition

Recent Headlines:

Defense:

Radar Glitch Requires F-35 Fighter Jet Pilots to Turn it Off and On Again – The Guardian

Troubled warplane that has yet to see any cyber security testing hit with yet another bug affecting flight performance requiring software update.

New Army Weapon Tech Could Make Cleaning Obsolete – Army Times

What if you never had to clean and lubricate your rifle again?

Raytheon to Fix Software Problems in Air Force Cyber Security and Cryptographic System – Military and Aerospace Electronics

Information security experts at Raytheon Co. are fixing obsolescence and software problems in a cryptographic and cyber security system the U.S. military uses to transmit voice and data traffic securely.

Apache Sensor’s High Reliability Turret Could Yield Savings – Defense News

The AH-64 Apache helicopter’s day-and-night vision target-acquisition sensor is getting a more reliable turret next year, which is expected to save the Army an estimated $500 million in operations and sustainment life-cycle costs, according to a Lockheed Martin executive.

In-Service Vessel Sustainment Program – USCG

In-Service Vessel Sustainment is the Coast Guard’s strategic class-by-class evaluation of its vessels to determine what major maintenance and upgrades are necessary for them to reach or extend their service lives.

L-3 Unidyne Inc. Awarded a Contract Modification for the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) of Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) – Defense

L-3 Unidyne Inc., Norfolk, Virginia, is being awarded a $7,843,985 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-15-C-2429) for the service life extension program (SLEP) of one Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC).

Lockheed-Raytheon Javelin JV Gets DoD Performance-Based Logistics Award – GovCon Wire

A Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) joint venture has received a performance-based logistics award from the Defense Department for its work in the Javelin program, GovCon Executive reported Thursday.

Automotive:

Start Your Used-Car Search Here When Reliability is Important – Standard Consumer USA

A good place to start your search is the Long-Term Quality Index, an ongoing measure of manufacturer and model reliability compiled by used-car expert Steven Lang and statistician Nick Lariviere.

Reliability of Rebuilt Engines in Classic Cars – Richmond

Do you have any experience or knowledge about the reliability and dependability of these rebuilt V-8s?

Energy:

FERC Approves Relay Performance Reliability Standard, NERC Submits Response – National Law Review

In a Final Rule, FERC approved Reliability Standard PRC-026-1 (Relay Performance During Stable Power Swings).

Energy Department Announces Progress, Next Steps on Improving the Reliability of the Nation’s Electric Grid with Synchrophasor Technology – Energy

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) released a new report chronicling American efforts to deploy this technology as well as two new funding opportunities to further advance the technology.

GE to Deploy Robotic Inspection Tools to Boost Reliability of Alinta Energy’s Power Plants in Australia and New Zealand – Business Wire

Showcasing its expanding predictive maintenance portfolio for power plant operators worldwide, GE’s Power Services business (NYSE: GE) has signed an agreement to deploy advanced robotic inspection tools to inspect utility Alinta Energy’s gas-fired power plants in Australia and New Zealand.

Mass Transit:

BART Shutdown Underscores Aging System’s Overwhelming Problems – SF Chronicle

A BART equipment problem that shut down a station and threatens to disrupt service for months has laid bare the transit agency’s big problem.

NJ Transit Budget Plan Delays Repairs – North Jersey

The agency’s current budget diverts $450 million from long-term construction projects, intended to improve safety and reliability, to pay for day-to-day operations. Since the practice started in 1990, governors and legislators of both parties have diverted $6.5 billion, according to NJ Transit.

Electrical Fires Grind DC to a Halt – The Horn News

An unprecedented daylong shutdown of the Washington area’s Metro subway system will force commuters to spend a day without their most reliable form of transportation — and the source of their constant complaints.

NJ Transit Trains and Buses are Breaking Down More Often, Stats Show – NJ

NJ Transit trains, buses and light rail vehicles are breaking down more often, resulting in delays for commuters and snarled traffic when buses are disabled.

Rolling Stock:

Breakthrough Railway Technology on Track for Prototype Development – Phys

Breakthrough railway technology masterminded by Loughborough University engineers has entered into the next stage of development with industry backing.

Space/Aviation:

Failure Analysis for Improved Reliability – NASA

Section 1 – What is reliability and root cause? Section 2 – Overview of failure mechanisms. Section 3 – Failure analysis techniques (1. Non destructive analysis techniques, 2. Destructive Analysis, 3. Materials Characterization). Section 4 – Summary and Closure.

Evolving Reliability and Maintainability Allocations for NASA Ground Systems – NASA

This paper describes the methodology and value of modifying allocations to reliability and maintainability requirements for the NASA Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) program’s subsystems.

An Overview of NASA Automotive Component Reliability Studies – NASA

The results of NASAs studies into the appropriateness of using US Automotive electronic parts in NASA spaceflight systems will be presented.

Verification of Triple Modular Redundancy Insertion for Reliable and Trusted Systems – NASA

If a system is required to be protected using triple modular redundancy (TMR), improper insertion can jeopardize the reliability and security of the system.

Medical/Health:

Understanding the “Deference to Expertise” High Reliability Organization Guiding Principle – Health

In March, we are taking an in-depth look at the Deference to Expertise High Reliability Organization (HRO) principle and how it applies to what you do to keep your patients safe on a daily basis.

Industrial:

UP 15000: Assisting the World’s Biggest Miners Down Under, Part 1 – UE Systems Inc.

When it comes to maintenance and reliability best practices, Australian mining has fallen behind compared to other industries.

Uptime: Reliability’s ‘Chicken Or Egg’ Question – Maintenance Technology

Discussions about life-cycle asset management and curiosity about the ISO 55000 Asset Management Standard have been growing since its launch in January 2014.

Electronics:

Bad Vibrations: Eliminating Mechanical Vibrations Leads to Better Performing Mechatronic Systems – Secience Daily

For precision engineering systems, such as CD and DVD players, anti lock braking systems and computer hard disk drives, vibration can significantly affect performance. Now, engineers have developed an efficient and reliable method for eliminating a major source of vibration.

Software:

The Landscape of Software Failure Cause Models (PDF) – Arxiv

The software engineering field has a long history of classifying software failure causes. Understanding them is paramount for fault injection, focusing testing efforts or reliability prediction.

Replication Infrastructure: Reliability in Software – Croucher

Professor Heming Cui’s research focuses on building software systems to improve the reliability and security of real world software. He has recently received the Croucher Foundation Innovation Award to support his research.

Understanding Quality and Reliability – Info Queue

One of the most overlooked but important areas of software estimation, measurement, and assessment, is quality. It often is not considered or even discussed during the early planning stages of all development projects, but it’s almost always the ultimate criteria for when a product is ready to ship or deploy.