Cost limit replacement policy under minimal repair

This paper presents a policy for either repairing or replacing a system that has failed. When a system requires repair, it is first inspected and the repair cost is estimated. Repair is only then undertaken if the estimated cost is less than the “repair cost limit”. However, the repair cannot return the system to “as new” condition but instead returns it to the average condition for a working system of its age. Examples include complex systems where the repair or replacement of one component does not materially affect the condition of the whole system. A Weibull distribution of time to failure and a negative exponential distribution of estimated repair cost are assumed for analytic amenability. An optimal “repair cost limit” policy is developed that minimizes the average cost per unit time for repairs and replacement. It is shown that the optimal policy is finite and unique.     

Optimal number of major failures before replacement

When the repair cost of a failed system is random, it is no longer meaningful to expend more than the replacement cost on a catastrophic failure. This paper presents a mathematical model that uses two cost limits to combine and extend the replacement models based on minor-failure number[8] and constant repair cost limit[5] for general time-to-failure distributions. When the failed system requires repair, it is first inspected and the repair cost is estimated. Minimal repair is only then undertaken if the estimated cost is less than the minor repair-cost limit; or if the estimated cost is less than the replacement cost and the predetermined major-failure number is not reached. An example with a Weibull time-to-failure distribution and a negative exponential distribution of estimated repair cost is given to illustrate the computational results.     

Periodic replacement when minimal repair costs depend on the age and the number of minimal repair for a multi-unit system

A policy of periodic replacement with minimal repair at failure is considered for the multi-unit system which have the specific multivariate distribution. Under such a policy the system is replaced at multiples of some period T while minimal repair is performed at any intervening component failures. The cost of a minimal repair to the component is assumed to be a function of its age and the number of minimal repair. A simple expression is derived for the expected minimal repair cost in an interval in terms of the cost function and the failure rate of the component. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of an optimal replacement interval are exhibited.     

Periodic replacement when minimal repair costs depend on the age and the number of minimal repairs for a multi-unit system

A policy of periodic replacement with minimal repair at failure is considered for a multi-unit system which has a specific multivariate distribution. Under such a policy the system is replaced at multiples of some period T while minimal repair is performed for any intervening component failure. The cost of a minimal repair to the component is assumed to be a function of its age and the number of minimal repairs. A simple expression is derived for the expected minimal repair cost in an interval in terms of the cost function and the failure rate of the component. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of an optimal replacement interval are found.     

Optimal periodic preventive repair and replacement policy assuming geometric process repair

In this paper, a simple deteriorating system with repair is studied. When failure occurs, the system is replaced at high cost. To extend the operating life, the system can be repaired preventively. However, preventive repair does not return the system to a "good as new" condition. Rather, the successive operating times of the system after preventive repair form a stochastically decreasing geometric process, while the consecutive preventive repair times of the system form a stochastically increasing geometric process. We consider a bivariate preventive repair policy to solve the efficiency for a deteriorating & valuable system. Thus, the objective of this paper is to determine an optimal bivariate replacement policy such that the average cost rate (i.e., the long-run average cost per unit time) is minimized. The explicit expression of the average cost rate is derived, and the corresponding optimal replacement policy can be determined numerically. An example is given where the operating time of the system is given by a Weibull distribution.     

Optimal monitoring strategies for slowly deteriorating repairablesystems

A simple model for determination of an optimal limit on taking corrective action in a slowly deteriorating repairable system is presented. The performance of such a system is assumed to be characterized by a single parameter which is continuously being monitored. The underlying deterioration process is assumed to be governed by a Brownian motion process with a positive drift. When the measured value of the parameter reaches the action limit, the repair/replacement procedure is initiated. The optimal action limit is derived so that the expected long run average total cost is minimized. Some simple numerical examples illustrate the model and the optimization     

Periodic replacement with minimal repair at failure and general random repair cost for a multi-unit system

A policy of periodic replacement with minimal repair at failure is considered for the multi-unit system which have the specific multivariate distribution. Under such a policy an operating system is completely replaced whenever it reaches age T (T > 0) at a cost c₀ while minimal repair is performed at any intervening component failures. The cost of the j-th minimal repair to the component which fails at age y is g(C(y),c_j(y)), where C(y) is the age-dependent random part, c_j(y) is the deterministic part which depends on the age and the number of the minimal repair to the component, and g is an positive nondecreasing continuous function. A simple expression is derived for the expected minimal repair cost in an interval in terms of the cost function and the failure rate of the component. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of an optimal replacement interval are exhibited.     

Cost analysis of a multi-component parallel redundant complex system with overloading effect and waiting under critical human error

The cost analysis of a multi-component parallel redundant complex system is considered, incorporating the concept of overloading effect and waiting time for repair under critical human error. Failure and waiting times follow an exponential time distribution, whereas repair time follows a general distribution. Using the supplementary variable technique, Laplace transforms of the probabilities of the complex system being in various states have been computed. Some graphs have been plotted to highlight the main results.     

Cost analysis of a two dissimilar-unit cold standby redundant system subject to inspection and two types of repair

This paper deals with the cost analysis of a two dissimilar-unit cold standby redundant system subject to inspection and two types of repair where each unit of the system has two modes, normal and failed. It is assumed that the failure, repair, replacement and inspection times are stochastically independent random variables each having an arbitrary distribution. The cold standby unit replaces the failed operative unit after a random amount of time. An inspection is required to decide whether it needs type I (minor repair) or type 2 (major repair). In this system the repairman is not always available with the system, but is called whenever the operative unit fails. The system is analysed by the semi-Markov process technique. Some reliability measures of interest to system designers as well as operations managers have been obtained. Pointwise availability, steady-state availability, busy period by a server and the expected cost per unit time of the system are obtained. Certain important results have been derived as particular cases.     

Cost analysis of a two unit, three state standby redundant complex system with two types of repair facilities under waiting

This paper deals with the cost analysis of a two unit, three state standby redundant complex system, incorporating the concept of two types of repair facilities, viz. minor and major repair. The concept of waiting time for the major repair of the failed system has also been introduced. The system can suffer from two types of failures, namely catastrophic and partial. Failure and waiting times of units follow exponential time distribution, whereas repair of units follows general time distribution. Using the supplementary variable technique, Laplace transforms of probabilities of the complex system being in various states have been computed. In addition, using Abel's lemma, steady state behaviour has also been examined. Some important graphs have been sketched at the end to highlight the important results.     

Cost analysis of a system with partial failure mode and abnormal weather conditions

This paper deals with the cost analysis of a system having three modes (normal, partial failure and total failure) in two weather conditions—normal and stormy. Failure rates of the system and rates of change of weather conditions are constant while the repair rates are general. The repair time distribution depends upon the starting state of the repair and it does not alter with the change in weather. The system is observed at suitable regenerative epochs in order to obtain reliability characteristics of interest to system designers and operations managers. Earlier results are verified as particular cases.     

Optimal control of a removable and non-reliable server in a markovian queueing system with finite capacity

This paper studies the economic behavior of a removable and non-reliable server in an Markovian queueing system with finite capacity under steady-state conditions. The removable server applies the N policy which turns the server on when the queue length reaches the value N, and turns the server off when the system is empty. The server may break down only if operating and require repair at a repair facility. Interarrival and service times of the customers, and breakdown and repair times of the server, are assumed to follow a negative exponential distribution. A cost model is developed to determine the optimal operating N policy numerically in order to minimize the total expected cost per unit time.     

Optimal maintenance of a two-unit standby redundant system with a generalized cost structure

To maintain a system there are generally several alternatives available to a decision maker. In this paper a usual 2-unit standby system is considered with exponential distribution for life-time of units and arbitrary distribution for repair time. A generalized cost structure with different earning rates in different states, transition rewards and discounting, has been superimposed upon the semi-Markov process generated by the system model. An optimal maintenance policy for the system is the one that maximizes profit rate of the system. A solution algorithm, based on Howard's policy iteration method, is developed. An illustration is presented at the end.     

Reliability Enhancement Through Optimal Burn-In

Burn-in is an important screening method used in predicting, achieving, and enhancing field reliability. Although electronics burn-in has been studied qualitatively, no comprehensive quantitative approach exists for determining optimal burn-in periods. This paper presents a cost-optimization model from a system viewpoint, with burn-in periods for the components as the decision variables. This model is applied to an electronic product recently developed which uses many ICs. State-of-the-art ICs have high early-failure rates and long infant mortality periods. Proper use of burn-in reduces early failure rates and reduces system deployment costs. The total cost to be minimized is formulated as a function of the mean costs of the component, device burn-in, shop repair, and field repair, which in turn are functions of the mean number of failures during and after burn-in. Component and system reliability are constraints that have to be satisfied. The early device failures are assumed to have a Weibull distribution. The formulated problem, with failure rates and cost factors, is optimized. Some basic properties of reliability and cost functions are discussed.     

Reliability analysis and optimization applications of a two-unit standby redundant system with spare units

Consider a two-unit standby redundant system with two main units, one repair facility, and n spare units. When the main unit has failed and the other is under repair, a spare unit takes over the operation and if it fails, it is replaced by a new one until the repair of the failed unit is completed. The system fails when the last spare unit fails while one main unit is under repair and the other has failed. In this paper, we derive expressions for 1) the distribution function of the first time to system failure, 2) the probability that the total number of failed spare units during the time interval (0,t] is n and 3) the mean of the total number of failed spare units in (0,t] and its asymptotic behaviour. Introducing costs incurred for each failed main unit and each failed spare unit, the expected cost per unit of time of the system was also derived. Finally an optinmization problem is discussed in order to compare the expected cost of the system with both main units and spare units with that of spare units only, and particular cases are considered.     

An Optimal Decision Rule for Repair vs Replacement

This paper presents a policy for either repairing or replacing a system that has failed. The policy applies to systems whose mean residual life function is decreasing. An optimal policy is developed that minimizes the cost per unit time for repair and replacement. Results are shown graphically for a particular distribution of time to failure and are motivated in terms of an automobile replacement problem.     

Mixing of Two Renewal Processes and Its Applications to Reliability Theory

The probabilistic behavior of repairable two-state systems is studied. It is assumed that the reliability of the system can be measured by the amount of time the system has been operative. The operating and repair states are a pair of renewal processes, a particular mixture of which describes the statistical behavior of the system. The object of this contribution is to extend the results of Muth who has earlier obtained the average value of the downtime and its variance, when one of the constituent renewal processes has its interval lengths distributed exponentially. This paper, by the repeated use of the method of regeneration points, obtains the mean and mean-square values of the uptime distribution. In addition the correlation of the uptime for different times has been derived and a proof of Takacs' theorem is provided. Since the criteria for the reliability of the system include the associated cost, it is worthwhile investigating the operating cost over any period of time for arbitrary distribution of the two states. In particular a demonstration of the calculation of the first two moments of the total cost is given.     

Optimal repair-cost limit for a consumer following expiry of a warranty

Previously, repair-cost limits have been determined only for the producer; or the consumer has been assumed always to replace the product on failure outside the warranty period without the possibility of a minimal repair. This paper discusses the optimal repair-cost limit to the warranty literature. The objective is to find an algorithm to obtain the optimal repair-cost limit for the consumer which minimizes his long-run expected cost rate.     

On computing the repair cost of a maintained reliability system with known repair cost function and probability of repair

In this paper, a simplified analytic cost model for maintained reliability system under opportunistic repair scheme is discussed. Life cycle cost curves under various operating life cycle times and linear repair cost function is derived.     

Optimal operation of a markovian queueing system with a removable and non-reliable server

This paper deals with the optimal operation of a single removable and non-reliable server in a Markovian queueing system under steady-state conditions. The server can be turned on at arrival epochs or off at departure epochs. We assume that the server may break down only if working and requires repair at a repair facility. Interarrival and service time distributions of the customers are assumed to be exponentially distributed. Breakdown and repair time distributions of the server are assumed to be exponentially distributed. The following cost structure is incurred to the system: a holding cost for each customer in the system per unit time, costs per unit time for keeping the server on or off, a breakdown cost per unit time when a server fails, and fixed costs for turning the server on or off. The total expected cost function per unit time is developed to obtain the optimal operating policy at minimum cost.