Maintenance policies for an heterogeneous two-component system with stochastic and economic dependencies

Abstract

This paper deals with the problem of maintenance optimization of a two-component system with stochastic dependence when components are heterogeneous regarding their degradation model. The system is composed of a gradually deteriorating component and another component subject to sudden failures e.g. due to shocks. Components are dependent in such a way that the lifetime parameters of component subject to shocks depend on the degradation level of the gradually deteriorating component. In addition, economic dependence is also considered allowing a reduction of maintenance costs by grouping maintenance tasks. Several maintenance policies are proposed and their performances regarding a long-run cost criterion are analyzed through numerical experiments. The advantages and weaknesses of the considered policies are discussed.