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Mechanical Engineering vocabulary · Maintenance and Reliability

MTBF

Meaning in mechanical engineering, with examples

abbreviationCommon term

In mechanical engineering, MTBF means: Short for mean time between failures: the average operating time between one failure of a repairable machine and the next. A higher MTBF means more reliable equipment.

In Turkish: arızalar arası ortalama süre, ortalama arıza aralığı

How it is used

Used in reliability reports, maintenance KPIs and supplier datasheets. It is calculated as total operating time divided by the number of failures. It often appears with MTTR (mean time to repair); for parts that are replaced rather than repaired, MTTF is used.

Example sentences

  1. After the redesign, the MTBF of the packaging machine went up from 120 to 310 hours.

  2. We track MTBF and MTTR for every critical machine each month.

Common collocations

  • MTBF and MTTR
  • increase MTBF
  • MTBF value
  • reliability data
  • failureThe state in which a part or machine can no longer do its job, for example because it has cracked, worn out, leaked or stopped working.
  • downtimeThe time when a machine or production line is not working because of a breakdown, maintenance, a changeover or a lack of material.
  • preventive maintenanceMaintenance done at planned intervals, such as lubricating, inspecting and replacing worn parts, to stop equipment from breaking down unexpectedly.
  • break downTo stop working because of a fault. It is used for machines and vehicles; the noun breakdown means a failure that stops the equipment.

More terms: Maintenance and Reliability

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