Condition-based maintenance in the cyclic patrolling repairman problem

Maik J.A. Havinga and Bram de Jonge

International Journal of Production Economics, 2020, vol. 222, issue C

Abstract: We consider the cyclic patrolling repairman problem combined with condition-based preventive maintenance. In the traditional cyclic patrolling repairman problem, one repairman inspects and repairs a set of machines in a fixed sequence. We introduce the possibility of performing preventive maintenance on the machines based on condition information. In order to determine optimal policies, we provide a Markov decision process formulation of the problem. Furthermore, this Markov decision process is used to analyze the performance of a control-limit policy, which is a commonly used heuristic for condition-based maintenance problems. The control-limit policy significantly outperforms the traditional policy for the patrolling repairman problem with only corrective maintenance. The optimal policy uses a higher maintenance threshold for a machine if the repairman expects to be back at that machine quite fast, or if failure of another machine is imminent. The benefit of the optimal policy compared to the control-limit policy is largest for sufficiently detailed condition information, for relatively stable deterioration processes, and for medium corrective maintenance costs.

Keywords: Maintenance; Patrolling repairman; Condition-based maintenance; Preventive maintenance; Markov decision process; Control-limit policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:proeco:v:222:y:2020:i:c:s0925527319303172

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2019.09.018

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