Reliability of Systems Subject to Failures With Dependent Propagation Effect

• Published in: IEEE transactions on systems, man, and cybernetics. Systems Vol. 43; no. 2; pp. 277 - 290
• Main Authors: Liudong Xing, Levitin, G., Chaonan Wang, Yuanshun Dai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.03.2013; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Circuit reliability; Combinatorial analysis; Combinatorial mathematics; Combinatorial method; Cybernetics; Damage; dependent propagation effect; Exact sciences and technology; Failure; Failure analysis; Firewalls; functional dependence; Mathematical analysis; Operational research and scientific management; Operational research. Management science; Propagation; Reliability analysis; Reliability engineering; Reliability theory; Reliability theory. Replacement problems; Rest; Studies; Script; Binary system; System status; System reliability; Failures; Modeling; Combinatorial method; Protection system; Filter; dependent propagation effect; Functional dependence; System analysis; Interconnected system; Damaging
• ISSN: 2168-2216; 2168-2232
• DOI: 10.1109/TSMCA.2012.2197199

This paper suggests a method for the reliability analysis of binary-state systems subject to component failures with dependent propagation effect. A propagated failure originating from a system component causes extensive damage to the rest of the system. The level of the damage can be dependent upon the status of other system components and the order of the component failures. Such dependent propagation effect typically takes place in systems with some protection mechanism (e.g., firewalls, filters, and antivirus programs) or systems subject to functional dependence behavior where the failure of a system component, referred to as a trigger, causes other components within the same system to become inaccessible or isolated from the system. A combinatorial and analytical method is proposed for addressing the dependent propagation effect in the system reliability analysis. Basics and application of the proposed method are illustrated through analyses of an example of a network system in two different scenarios for propagation effects and an example of a memory system with multiple trigger events.