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Principles of Design for Reliability Taught

Burnaby, Canada, February 2011 — A full-day course on Predicting Reliability in Mechanical Design was taught by Martin Fandrich, PhD, PEng, on February 23. The seminar, developed by Bannerman Consultants as part of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC (APEGBC) professional development program, gave techniques for calculating the probability of failure (and conversely reliability) as a means of engineering consistent safety levels. The seminar also explored the inconsistencies and limitations of the traditional design method of safety factors and the benefits of understanding uncertainty. Focussing explicitly on limiting failure allows more freedom to design and innovate while simultaneously leveraging previous experience into new domains.