Reliability considerations in accelerated life testing of electrical insulation with generalized life distribution function

A procedure to predict the reliability of electrical insulators subjected to accelerated life testing is presented. A set of probability functions are derived and the best fit is used to describe the reliability data. The calculation of the minimum voltage stress level and the appropriate number of tests are also given. The technique permits the precise description of the probability distribution of the failure time data without adopting a Weibull distribution with a constant shape. A computer program allows for quick computation of the cumulative distribution function for the failure time data.