Abstract:

By applying the geometric process theory, the optimal repair replacement policy for a single-unit system with limited working time is studied in this paper. Assuming that the maintenance time and working time obey the general distribution, when the working time is lower than the settled threshold phi, or if the system is repaired N times, the system will be replaced. By using the theory of renewal process, some reliability indices including the average occurrence of failure and average availability for the system are obtained. The function expression for long-run expected benefit is also obtained. Finally, by numerical simulation, the effects of the lower threshold and the working times on optimal strategy are discussed.

Key words: repairable system, availability, fault frequency, expected benefit, geometric process