Delay-Time Model of Reliability of Equipment Subject to Inspection Monitoring

A model is developed for the reliability of a single component, subject to one type of inspectable defect, which will subsequently lead to a failure. Inspections are assumed perfect. The model utilizes the notion of delay time to establish the reliability consequences of inspecting on different inspection periods. The argument is readily extended to the case of a component with multiple and independent defects. Numerical examples are provided.