Analysis of consecutive k-out-of-n: F systems with single repair facility

Abstract

In this paper, a consecutive k-out-of-n : F system with non-identical units and with a single repair facility is analyzed in connection with the reliability and availability of the system. The failure rates of the units are constant and the repair time is arbitrarily distributed. A mathematical model is developed using semi-regenerative phenomena and systems of convolution integral equations satisfied by various state probabilities corresponding to different initial conditions are obtained. A particular case with k = 2 and n = 3 is analyzed numerically to study the effect of various parameters on the availability and reliability of the system. Copyright (C) 1996 .