%0 Journal Article
%T Method of Expected Lifespan Assessments for Deteriorated Railroad Signalling Equipment
%J Journal of Safety Engineering
%@ 2325-0011
%D 2012
%I 
%R 10.5923/j.safety.20120103.02
%X The most important issue in evaluating a lifespan extension is to determine the validity and the efficiency to theextension. This can be calculated via cost-benefit analyses involving different kinds of failure scenarios. In case of railway, a similar situation often occurs in determining whether to introduce new installations or just maintain existing equipment by installing spare parts. In this study, a method for extending the lifespan of signalling installations that are more than 20 years old will be presented. We specifically focus on the case where there is no available reliability data, which may include information pertaining to the failure rate of the component unit or other failures that occur during operation. As a means of validating the service life extension, a period of non-failure assurance testing should be mandated, a test time and an accelerating coefficient for accelerated assurance testing should be calculated, and also an assessment model for accelerated assurance testing should be developed. The proposed model is an effective method to establish a future maintenance policy for railroad operators who manage deteriorated signalling equipment.
%K Reliability Assessment
%K Failure Rate
%K Lifespan
%K Signalling Equipment
%K MTBF
%U http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.safety.20120103.02.html