Cox Model for Degradation and Failure Time Data

Abstract

It is well known that traditionally the failure time data are used for product reliability estimation or for estimation of survival characteristics. Failures of highly reliable units are rare and other information should be used in addition to censored failure time data. One way of obtaining a complementary reliability information is to use higher levels of experimental factors or covariates (such as temperature, voltage, or pressure) to increase the number of failures and, hence, to obtain reliability information quickly. The accelerated life testing (ALT) of biotechnical systems is a simple practical method for estimation of reliability of new systems without having to wait for the operating lives of them.