Parameter Estimation of the Two-Parameter Exponential Distribution under Three Step-Stress Accelerated Life Test

In life testing, the lifetimes of test units under the usual conditions are so long that life testing at usual conditions is impractical. Testing units are subjected to conditions of high stress to yield informations quickly. In this paper, the inferences of parameters on the three step-stress accelerated life testing are studied. The two-parameter exponential distribution with a failure rate function that a log-quadratic function of stress and the tempered failure rate model are considered. We obtain the maximum likelihood estimators of the model parameters and their confidence regions. A numerical example will be given to illustrate the proposed inferential procedures.