# Acceleration of Service Life Testing by Using Weibull Distribution on Fiber Optical Connectors
###### Abstract  
The service life assessment of previous fatigue stress has a fundamental role in estimating the reliability of products like fiber optical connectors, and should replicate use in severe environments in telecommunications systems. However, the vibration prediction models used in the literature present limitations in vibration life prediction. In this paper, we propose using the insertion loss fatigue life and including it in the Weibull distribution to determine the Weibull parameters \(\eta\) and \(\beta\) to evaluate fiber optic connector reliability \(R(t)\) under environmental and mechanical testing stress. We analyzed the failure data of a standard telecommunication fiber optical connector under a program of service life stress testing against that of a fiber optical connector under only mechanical vibration stress testing. The fiber connectors were monitored during the vibration testing to review the transient change of the optical signal. Their results showed that the reliability of the fiber connectors submitted to the service life program was \(R(t)=0.694\), while that of the fiber connectors submitted to mechanical vibration only was \(R(t)=0.970\). In addition, the analysis showed that the service life testing consumed 70.2% of the product's lifetime. We present in Numerical Validation the steps to determine the acceleration factors of the vibration test developed.  
accelerated life testing; vibration stress; reliability; Weibull distribution +
Footnote †: journal: Medical  
applied to perform tests representative of the conditions of application [12], then the environmental and mechanical conditions that affect the fiber optical connectors are measured and evaluated. However, reliability issues must be addressed for fiber optical connectors operating under mechanical vibration conditions, since fiber optics are increasingly used in harsh environments. Thus, reliability models for fiber optical systems submitted to mechanical stress have been generated [13], but while there is a need for information on mechanical vibration loads induced, no extensive experimental essay has been found in the literature on mechanical vibration as an accelerating parameter. Currently, vibration tests are carried out on new samples, but this is not efficient in determining the reliability of the product or its remaining life because the service life tests consume a significant percentage of its useful life (strength to support stress). Thus, in this article we determine the reliability and the remaining life of (1) samples subjected to service life tests [14], and (2) samples subjected only to vibration, finding that results for the samples subjected to service life tests, on average, were lower than those of samples subjected to vibration only. We note that lifetime assessment is related to operation and environmental stresses like temperature and vibration that cause fatigue in the component's material capability due to degradation and aging [15].  
The paper is organized as follows. Section 2 includes the generalities of the fiber optic connector measurements, vibration tests, and Weibull distribution model. Section 3 includes a numerical validation. In Section 4, the results are presented. Finally, in Section 5, the discussion is provided.