Precedence-type test based on the Nelson-Aalen estimator of the cumulative hazard function

Abstract

In reliability studies, the goal is to gain knowledge about a product's failure times or life expectancy. Precedence tests do not require large sample sizes and are used in reliability studies to compare the life-time distributions from two samples. Precedence tests are useful since they provide reliable results early in a life-test and the surviving units can be used in other tests. Ng and Balakrishnan (2010) proposed a precedence-type test based on the Kaplan-Meier estimator of the cumulative distribution function.

A precedence-type test based on the Nelson-Aalen estimator of the cumulative hazard function has been proposed. This test was developed for both Type-II right censoring and progressive Type-II right censoring. Numerical results, including illustrative examples, critical values and a power study have been provided. The results from this test were compared with those from the test based on the Kaplan-Meier estimator.