Modelling imperfect maintenance and the reliability of complex systems using superposed renewal processes

M.J. Kallen

Reliability Engineering and System Safety, 2011, vol. 96, issue 6, 636-641

Abstract: In problems of maintenance optimization, it is convenient to assume that repairs are equivalent to replacements and that systems or objects are, therefore, brought back into an as good as new state after each repair. Standard results in renewal theory may then be applied for determining optimal maintenance policies. In practice, there are many situations in which this assumption cannot be made. The quintessential problem with imperfect maintenance is how to model it. In many cases it is very difficult to assess by how much a partial repair will improve the condition of a system or object and it is equally difficult to assess how such a repair influences the rate of deterioration. In this paper, a superposition of renewal process is used to model the effect of imperfect maintenance. It constitutes a different modelling approach than the more common use of a virtual age process.

Keywords: Imperfect maintenance; Partial repairs; Renewal process; Superposition; Corrosion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:reensy:v:96:y:2011:i:6:p:636-641

DOI: 10.1016/j.ress.2010.12.005

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