Rethinking Reliability Engineering: Lessons From FABER to Modernize ALT in the AI Era

Fatigue life estimation and accelerated life testing (ALT) are foundational methodologies in quality and reliability engineering. They ensure the durability and performance of materials and systems exposed to operational stresses such as thermal cycling, mechanical vibrations, humidity, corrosion, and multiaxial loads. Despite their shared objective of reliability assessment, these approaches differ in methodology and focus, offering complementary strengths. Compared to other approaches in reliability engineering, such as condition monitoring and predictive maintenance, neither fatigue life estimation nor ALT has seen significant development in the AI era.