Generalized Reliability Analysis of Mechanical Systems with Imperfect Maintenance

Abstract

Generalized reliability models and failure rate models of mechanical systems are developed in this paper according to the system working mechanism, which take the design parameters as input. The models consider strength degradation and imperfect maintenance. Besides, the models take into account the failure correlation caused by homologous load effect and the maintenance correlation owing to group maintenance. Unlike traditional reliability models, the models do not rely on empirical assumptions when considering failure correlation and maintenance correlation and have clear physical meaning. Moreover, the correctness and effectiveness of the models are verified by Monte Carlo simulations. Finally, the influences of failure correlation and maintenance correlation on generalized reliability, the influences of failure correlation on maintenance correlation, and the influences of maintenance correlation on failure correlation are analyzed via numerical examples. The results show that failure correlation and maintenance correlation have great influences on generalized reliability, and the interaction between the two correlation shows obvious time-varying characteristics.

Selective Maintenance Strategy for a Finite Planning Horizon Considering Imperfect Maintenance

“…The shock process in the study is a nonhomogeneous Poisson process, and a changing factor is considered for the dependance between the normal degradation and the intensity of shocks. Gao and Xie [23] developed generalized reliability models and failure rate models of the mechanical systems, and the models consider strength degradation and imperfect maintenance.…”