4.1 This practice was prepared to meet a growing need for the use of standard sampling procedures and tables for life and reliability testing in government procurement, supply, and maintenance quality control (QC) operations as well as in research and development activities where applicable.

4.2 A characteristic feature of most life tests is that the observations are ordered in time to failure. If, for example, 20 radio tubes are placed on life test, and t_i denotes the time when the ith tube fails, the data occur in such a way that t₁ ≤t₂ ≤ ... ≤ t_n. The same kind of ordered observations will occur whether the problem under consideration deals with the life of electric bulbs, the life of electronic components, the life of ball bearings, or the length of life of human beings after they are treated for a disease. The examples just given all involve ordering in time.

4.3 In destructive testing involving such situations as the current needed to blow a fuse, the voltage needed to break down a condenser, or the force needed to rupture a physical material, the test can often be arranged in such a way that every item in the sample is subjected to precisely the same stimulus (current, voltage, or stress). If this is done, then clearly the weakest item will be observed to fail first, the second weakest next, and so forth. While the random variable considered mostly in this guide is time to failure, it should be emphasized, however, that the methodology provided herein can be adapted to the testing situations mentioned above when the random variable is current, voltage, stress, and so forth.

4.4 Sections 6 and 7 describe general procedures and definitions of terms used in life test sampling. Sections 8, 9, and 10 describe specific procedures and applications of the life test sampling plans for determining conformance to established reliability requirements.

4.5 Whenever the methodology or choice of procedures in the practice requires clarification, the user is advised to consult a qualified mathematical statistician, and reference should be made to appropriate technical reports and other publications in the field.