Probability in the Engineering and Informational Sciences

Table of Contents - 1996 - Volume 10, Issue 01  

Research Article

The Availability of Inspected Systems Subject to Random Deterioration

Georgia-Ann Klutkea1, Martin A. Wortmana1 and Hayriye Ayhana2

a1 Department of Industrial Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3131

a2 School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0205

Abstract

This paper examines the availability of an inspected system where the rate of deterioration is governed by an exogenous random environment. We develop a qualitative result that exposes the relationship among remaining life, deterioration, and repairs. This result requires no specific distributional assumptions. We use this result in developing a simple bound on stationary availability. We investigate these relationships numerically for a Markovian system and provide insights useful to practitioners in selecting an inspection process that guarantees a target availability.