Burn-In Models and Methods: A Review

Abstract

Burn-in is a technique used to increase the quality of components and systems delivered to a consumer by using the item under normal or accelerated environmental conditions prior to shipment. If a burn-in procedure is effective, items that are delivered to the consumer are superior to those that would have been delivered without burn-in. The measure by which items are judged to be superior is defined by the objective of the burn-in procedure (e.g., maximum mean residual life or maximum probability of mission success after burn-in). This paper reviews the burn-in literature which considers different aspects of the problem, but lacks a structure that relates them to one another.