A reliability engineering team at a large manufacturing plant is facing challenges with a critical hydraulic system that powers various machines on the production line. Due to unexpected breakdowns and inconsistent performance, production targets are often not met, resulting in significant operational inefficiencies and increased maintenance costs.

To tackle these issues, the team has decided to conduct a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis $($FMEA$)$ to systematically identify and analyse potential failure modes within the hydraulic system and their subsequent effects on system performance. Concurrently, they aim to use the bathtub curve model to understand and predict the

reliability and maintenance needs of the hydraulic system throughout its operational life.

$2\mathrm{.}1.$ Define Failure Mode and Effect Analysis $($FMEA$)$ and explain its significance in reliability engineering. $(10$ Marks$)$

$2\mathrm{.}2.$ Explain how the bathtub curve is used in reliability engineering to assess and manage equipment reliability throughout its lifecycle. $(6$ Marks$)$