Senior Reliability Engineer Interview Questions and Answers

Auto transfer system in high voltage switchgears automatically transfers power source in case of failure

• Auto transfer system detects power source failure

• Automatically switches to backup power source

• Ensures continuous power supply to critical loads

• Commonly used in data centers, hospitals, and industrial facilities

Failure modes of electrical motors include overheating, bearing failure, winding insulation breakdown, and rotor imbalance.

• Overheating due to excessive current or poor ventilation

• Bearing failure from lack of lubrication or misalignment

• Winding insulation breakdown from voltage spikes or moisture ingress

• Rotor imbalance causing vibration and eventual failure

RPN stands for Risk Priority Number and is used to prioritize risks based on severity, occurrence, and detection.

• RPN is calculated by multiplying the severity, occurrence, and detection scores of a risk.

• The severity, occurrence, and detection scores are typically rated on a scale of 1-10.

• The higher the RPN, the higher the priority of the risk.

• RPN can be used to prioritize which risks to address first.

• Example: A risk with a severity score of 8, occurrence score of 5, and detec...read more

Bath Tub Curve is a graphical representation of failure rate of a product over its lifetime.

• It shows three phases of product life: early failures, random failures, and wear-out failures.

• Early failures occur due to manufacturing defects or poor quality control.

• Random failures occur due to normal wear and tear.

• Wear-out failures occur due to aging of the product.

• Examples include electronic devices, automobiles, and aircraft components.

• Reliability engineers use this curve to desi...read more