What is “mean time between failure” (MTBF)?
MTBF is a statistical determination of the “average” (mean) time that can be expected to pass before a device, or an accelerometer, will fail. Statistical models are used to analyze the design of an accelerometer to predict the MTBF. Empirical data from actual installations can also be used to determine the MTBF. Statistical models often produce a much shorter MTBF than actual installation data. In the case of the Wilcoxon 786A, the MIL-HDBK-217 statistical model produced an MTBF of ~200,000 hours while empirical data analysis yielded 2,000,000 hours for the MTBF.
MTBF is a statistical determination of the “average” (mean) time that can be expected to pass before a device, or an accelerometer, will fail. Statistical models are used to analyze the design of an accelerometer to predict the MTBF. Empirical data from actual installations can also be used to determine the MTBF. Statistical models often produce a much shorter MTBF than actual installation data. In the case of the Wilcoxon Research 786A, the MIL-HDBK-217 statistical model produced an MTBF of ~200,000 hours while empirical data analysis yielded 2,000,000 hours for the MTBF.
