Reliability Analysis of DKNCP Systems with a Mixture of Degrading Components Subjected to Different Types of Shocks

Abstract

This paper attempts to model the reliability of dynamic k-out-of-n systems with component partnership (DKNCP) in which a mixture of deteriorating components and multiple types of shocks are inflicted on the system. Previous studies were merely focused on the DKNCP systems affected by one type of shock that influenced all its components. In practice, however, shocks do not necessarily affect all the components. Hence, shocks may be classified based on their magnitude, specifications, and the components they affect. In this paper, random shocks are classified into distinct sets based on the components affected. DKNCP or adaptive KNCP is a new redundancy system that can be applied when a specific number of high-performance components is required which cannot be replaced by lower-performance components even if the number of these components is high. In a DKNCP system, the components contribute to the system operation in different ways and can make partnership groups for the system to survive when a component failure occurs. Also, we consider two failure mechanisms: accumulating degradation and random shocks. Two types of random shocks are also considered in the model: critical shocks, that cause instantaneous component failure, and non-critical ones, that increase natural degradation by a random amount.