Cost effective scheduling of imperfect inspections in systems with hidden failures and rescue possibility

Motivated by real-world critical applications such as aircraft, medical devices, and military systems, this paper models non-repairable systems subject to a delay-time failure process involving hidden and fatal failures in two stages during their missions. A hidden failure cannot cause the system to stop functioning while a fatal failure causes the entire system loss. The system undergoes scheduled inspections for detecting the hidden failure. In the case of a positive inspection result, the system main mission is aborted and a rescue operation is started to mitigate the risk of the entire system loss. The inspections are imperfect and may produce false positive and negative failures. We propose probabilistic models for evaluating performance metrics of the system considered, including mission success probability, system survival probability, expected number of inspections during the mission, and total expected losses. Based on the evaluation models, we formulate and solve an optimization problem of finding the optimal inspection schedule on a fixed mission time horizon to minimize the total expected loss. Examples are provided to demonstrate the proposed methodology and effects of key system parameters on system performance and optimization solutions.     

Joint optimization of spare parts ordering and maintenance policies for multiple identical items subject to silent failures

In this paper the joint maintenance and spare parts ordering problem for more than one identical operating items is studied. The operating items may suffer two types of silent failures: a minor failure, which results in item malfunctioning, and a major failure, which renders the item completely out-of-function. Inspections are periodically held to detect any failures and the inspected items are preventively maintained, repaired or replaced according to their condition. Two ordering policies are investigated to supply the necessary spare parts: a periodic review and a continuous review policy. The expected total maintenance and inventory cost per time unit is derived and the proposed models are optimized for real case data. In addition, the sensitivity of the proposed models is studied through numerical examples and the effect of some key problem characteristics on the optimal decisions is discussed.     

A two-phase inspection policy with imperfect testing

This paper presents an inspection policy to detect failures of a single component system that remain hidden otherwise. Inspection reveals whether the unit is in good or failed state. The possibility of non perfect testing is assumed, thus, successive inspections may fail detecting a failure or result in a false alarm. The occurrence of false alarms is reported in optical fire detectors and inspection of printing circuit boards which are on the basis of electronic systems. A two-phase inspection schedule takes into account the changes in component’s aging. The system may undergo different inspection frequencies to detect both early failures or those due to the natural deterioration in the system as time goes by. The examples reveal the advantages of a two-phase inspection when comparing with the unique interval inspection.     

Availability and maintenance modeling for systems subject to dependent hard and soft failures

This paper develops availability and maintenance models for single‐unit systems subject to dependent hard and soft failures. A hard failure stops the system immediately, whereas a soft failure only reduces the performance capacity of the system. Dependence between these 2 types of failures is reflected in the fact that each soft failure directly increases the hazard rate of the hard failure. On the basis of such interaction, we derive recursive equations for the system reliability and availability functions. To detect both types of failures, inspections are executed periodically. Furthermore, we investigate the optimal inspection policy via the minimization of the expected cost per unit time. The applicability of the developed availability and maintenance models is validated by a case study on an electrical distribution system.     

A model of imperfect preventive maintenance with dependent failure modes

Consider a system subject to two modes of failures: maintainable and non-maintainable. A failure rate function is related to each failure mode. Whenever the system fails, a minimal repair is performed. Preventive maintenances are performed at integer multiples of a fixed period. The system is replaced when a fixed number of preventive maintenances have been completed. The preventive maintenance is imperfect because it reduces the failure rate of the maintainable failures but does not affect the failure rate of the non-maintainable failures. The two failure modes are dependent in the following way: after each preventive maintenance, the failure rate of the maintainable failures depends on the total of non-maintainable failures since the installation of the system. The problem is to determine an optimal length between successive preventive maintenances and the optimal number of preventive maintenances before the system replacement that minimize the expected cost rate. Optimal preventive maintenance schedules are obtained for non-decreasing failure rates and numerical examples for power law models are given.     

A preventive maintenance policy with sequential checking procedure for a Markov deteriorating system

We consider a repairable system subject to a continuous-time Markovian deterioration while running, that leads to failure. The deterioration degree is measured with a finite discrete scale; repairs follow general distributions; failures are instantaneously detected. This system is submitted to a preventive maintenance policy, with a sequential checking procedure: the up-states are divided into two parts, the “good” up-states and the “degraded” up-states. Instantaneous (and perfect) inspections are then performed on the running system: when it is found in a degraded up-state, it is stopped to be maintained (for a random duration that depends on the degradation degree of the system); when it is found in a good up-state, it is left as it is. The next inspection epoch is then chosen randomly and depends on the degradation degree of the system by time of inspection. We compute the long-run availability of the maintained system and give sufficient conditions for the preventive maintenance policy to improve the long-run availability. We study the optimization of the long-run availability with respect to the distributions of the inter-inspection intervals: we show that under specific assumptions (often checked), optimal distributions are non-random. Numerical examples are studied.     

Optimal scheduling of non-perfect inspections

^** Corresponding author. Email: romulo.zequeira{at}utt.fr^*** Email: christophe.berenguer{at}utt.fr In this paper, we study the determination of optimal inspectionpolicies when three types of inspections are available: partial,perfect and imperfect. Perfect inspections diagnose withouterror the system state. The system can fail because of threecompeting failure types: I, II and III. Partial inspectionsdetect without error type I failures. Failures of type II canbe detected by imperfect inspections which have non-zero probabilityof false positives. Partial and imperfect inspections are madeat the same time. Type III failures are detectable only by perfectinspections. If the system is found failed in an inspection,a repair is made which renders the system in a good-as-new condition.The system is preventively maintained following an age-basedpolicy. Preventive maintenance actions return the system toa good-as-new condition. We consider cost contributions of inspections,repairs, preventive maintenance and periods of unavailability.The model presented permits to determine the optimal (constant)inter-inspection period for partial, imperfect and perfect inspectionsand the optimal times of preventive maintenance actions.     

Optimal scheduling of inspection times in a production process with a finite planning horizon

Inspection models applicable to a finite planning horizon are developed for the following lifetime distributions: uniform, exponential, and Weibull distribution. For a given lifetime distribution, maximization of profit is used as the sole optimization criterion for determining an optimal planning horizon over which a system may be operated as well as ideal inspection times. Illustrative examples (focusing on the uniform and Weibull distributions and using Mathematica programs) are given. For some situations, evenly spreading inspections over the entire planning horizon are seen to result in the attainment of desirable profit levels over a shorter planning horizon. Scope for further research is given as well. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Inspection and maintenance optimization methods

Three methods of the optimal planning of the inspection and maintenance of offshore structures are described. The models are based on respectively: the maximization of the effect of inspections, measured by the total importance value of the errors detected, subject to a given total economical budget; the minimization of the total costs of obtaining respectively: a given importance value of errors detected or given numbers of inspections of various types. Special selections of the importance values of structural elements give problems of the maximization of the reliability of the structural system, or the minimization of the economical consequences of failures, or the minimization of the sum of the costs of inspections and failure-consequences, subject to a given total failure probability of the system.Different failure types of elements and time schedules of inspections can be included in the model.An extension of the incremental method of Fox is applied, and an evaluation measure is given for the calculation of bounds of the optimal objective value, or given numbers of inspections are planned by application of continuous linear programming with integral solutions.     

An ideal way of obtaining an optimal inspection permutation for a system with components connected in series

The problem of an inspection permutation or inspection strategy (first discussed in a research paper in 1989 and reviewed in another research paper in 1991) is revisited. The problem deals with an N‐component system whose times to failure are independent but not identically distributed random variables. Each of the failure times follows an exponential distribution. The components in the system are connected in series such that the failure of at least one component entails the failure of the system. Upon system failure, the components are inspected one after another in a hierarchical way (called an inspection permutation) until the component causing the system to fail is identified. The inspection of each component is a process that takes a non‐negligible amount of time and is performed at a cost. Once the faulty component is identified, it is repaired at a cost, and the repair process takes some time. After the repair, the system is good as new and is put back in operation. The inspection permutation that results in the maximum long run average net income per unit of time (for the undiscounted case) or maximum total discounted net income per unit of time (for the discounted case) is called the optimal inspection permutation/strategy. A way of determining an optimal inspection permutation in an easier fashion, taking advantage of the improvements in computer software, is proffered. Mathematica is used to showcase how the method works with the aid of a numerical example. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preventive maintenance for inspected systems with additive subexponential shock magnitudes

We examine the long-run average availability and cost rate of a maintained system which deteriorates according to a random-shock process. Shocks arrive according to a Poisson process. The system fails whenever the cumulative damage exceeds a given threshold. The system's failures are not self-announcing, hence, failures must be detected via inspections. The system is inspected at periodic or exponentially distributed intervals. Systems are replaced by preventive maintenance or after failure (corrective maintenance), whichever occurs first. When the distribution function of the shock magnitudes belongs to the class of subexponential distributions, we obtain simple approximations for the availability and the cost rate. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimal control of an inventory-production system with state-dependent random yield

In this paper we study a single stage, periodic-review inventory problem for a single item with stochastic demand. The inventory manager determines order sizes according to an order-up-to logic and observes a random yield due to quality problems in the production. We distinguish between two different states of the production process combined with different probabilities to produce a defective unit. In order to improve the production process, periodic inspections are conducted and in case of a failure the machine is repaired. Approximations are developed to evaluate the average cost for a given order-up-to level and a given inspection interval and we illustrate the existence of optimal policy parameters. The approximations are tested in a simulation study and reveal an excellent performance as they lead to near optimal policy parameters. Moreover, we decompose the problem and test different methods to compute the policy parameters either sequentially or separately. Our results show that a joint optimization of the inventory and maintenance policy leads to a better system performance and reduced costs.     

考虑不完美检测的两阶段点检与备件订购策略联合优化

针对设备维修与备件管理相互影响与制约的问题, 在基于延迟时间理论的基础上, 提出了两阶段点检与备件订购策略联合优化。点检是不完美的, 当点检识别设备的缺陷状态时, 进行预防更新; 设备故障时, 进行故障更新。结合设备更新时备件的状态, 采用更新报酬理论建立了以第一阶段点检时间、第二阶段点检周期和备件订购时间为决策变量, 以最小化单位时间期望成本为目标的模型。最后, 通过人工蜂群算法对模型求解, 并在数值分析中将两阶段点检策略与定期点检策略进行比较, 结果表明:两阶段点检策略始终优于定期点检策略, 验证了所建模型的有效性。     

Determining all Nash equilibria in a (bi-linear) inspection game

This paper addresses a “game” between an inspection agency and multiple inspectees that are subject to random inspections by that agency. We provide explicit (easily computable) expressions for all possible Nash equilibria and verify that none is left out. In particular, our results characterize situations when there exists a unique Nash equilibrium. We also explore special features of the Nash equilibria and the solution of the problem the inspection agency faces in a non-strategic environment.     

Optimal replacement model with age-dependent failure type based on a cumulative repair-cost limit policy

This paper presents a replacement model with age-dependent failure type based on a cumulative repair-cost limit policy, whose concept uses the information of all repair costs to decide whether the system is repaired or replaced. As failures occur, the system experiences one of the two types of failures: a type-I failure (minor), rectified by a minimal repair; or a type-II failure (catastrophic) that calls for a replacement. A critical type-I failure means a minor failure at which the accumulated repair cost exceeds the pre-determined limit for the first time. The system is replaced at the nth type-I failure, or at a critical type-I failure, or at first type-II failure, whichever occurs first. The optimal number of minimal repairs before replacement which minimizes the mean cost rate is derived and studied in terms of its existence and uniqueness. Several classical models in maintenance literature are special cases of our model.     

Optimum inspection under competing risks with proportional hazards

In this work, we present an inspection policy so as to detect the failures of a single‐unit system subject to N latent causes of failure when the time and cause of failure are independent. It is supposed that inspections may fail and give an erroneous result. The optimum inspection time which minimizes cost per unit of time for an infinite time span is discussed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimal overhaul intervals with imperfect inspection and repair

Author for correspondence.Email:m.j.newby{at}city.ac.uk This paper is motivated by the idea of a maintenance-free operatingperiod whose objectives are to improve mission reliability andcarry out as much maintenance as possible as a second-line activity.The system may be in one of three states (good, faulty, andfailed), and expressions are developed for the average costper unit time until failure. The system is periodically inspected,the inspection being imperfect in the sense that it can resultin both false-positive and false-negative results. Simple faultscan be fixed, but a repair is imperfect, in that there is anon-zero probability of a fault remaining after a repair. Aftera fixed number of inspections, the system is overhauled. Ifthe system fails during operation, it is replaced at increasedcost. The sojourn time in each state has non-constant failurerate, and discretization and supplementary variables are usedto give a Markovian structure which allows easy computationof the average costs. Minimizing the average cost gives theoptimal number of inspections before overhauling the system.     

Optimal production run time for a deteriorating production system under an extended inspection policy

A deteriorating production system is subjected to random deterioration from an in-control state to an out-of-control state with a general shift distribution. In order to reduce the defective items, part inspection policy, under which production inspections are performed only at the end of the production run, and full inspection policy are both considered in the literature. Moreover, the former dominates the latter. Since the product produced towards the end of a production cycle are more likely to be defective, it can further economize the inspection costs that they are directly reworked without inspection. In this paper, we propose an extended product inspection policy for a deteriorating production system. Product inspections are performed in the middle of a production cycle, and after the inspection, all products produced until the end of the production run are fully reworked. Based on the model, we show that there exists a production run time and a corresponding unique inspection policy such that the expected total cost per item per cycle is minimized. Finally, numerical examples are provided to illustrate our extended inspection policy, and indicate that such product inspection model will reduce the quality-related cost than part inspection does.     

有两种故障状态的两部件串联系统的预防维修策略

本文研究的是由两个部件串联组成且有两种故障状态的系统的预防维修策略, 当系统的工作时间达到T时进行预防维修, 预防维修使部件恢复到上一次故障维修后的状态。每个部件发生故障都有两种状态, 可维修和不可维修。当部件的故障为可维修故障时, 修理工对其进行故障维修, 且每次故障维修后的工作时间形成随机递减的几何过程, 每次故障后的维修时间形成随机递增的几何过程。当部件发生N次可维修故障或一次不可维修故障时进行更换。以部件进行预防维修的间隔和更换前的可维修故障次数N组成的二维策略(T, N) 为策略, 利用更新过程和几何过程理论求出了系统经长期运行单位时间内期望费用的表达式, 并给出了具体例子和数值分析。