Optimal selective renewal policy for systems subject to propagated failures with global effect and failure isolation phenomena

• Published in: Reliability engineering & system safety Vol. 114; pp. 61 - 70
• Main Authors: Maaroufi, Ghofrane, Chelbi, Anis, Rezg, Nidhal
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Failure isolation; Operational research and scientific management; Operational research. Management science; Propagated failures; Reliability theory. Replacement problems; Selective maintenance; Stochastic dependence; Stochastic dependence; Failure isolation; Propagated failures; Selective maintenance; Monte Carlo method; Costs; Binary system; Complex system; Optimal policy; Maintenance; Failures; Modeling; Optimization; Renewal; Completion; Completeness; Dependence; Reliability
• ISSN: 0951-8320; 1879-0836
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ress.2012.12.019

This paper considers a selective maintenance policy for multi-component systems for which a minimum level of reliability is required for each mission. Such systems need to be maintained between consecutive missions. The proposed strategy aims at selecting the components to be maintained (renewed) after the completion of each mission such that a required reliability level is warranted up to the next stop with the minimum cost, taking into account the time period allotted for maintenance between missions and the possibility to extend it while paying a penalty cost. This strategy is applied to binary-state systems subject to propagated failures with global effect, and failure isolation phenomena. A set of rules to reduce the solutions space for such complex systems is developed. A numerical example is presented to illustrate the modeling approach and the use of the reduction rules. Finally, the Monte-Carlo simulation is used in combination with the selective maintenance optimization model to deal with a number of successive missions.