Systems with weighted components (Q2483460)

The paper deals with systems with weighted components (SWC). In a SWC with \(n\) components, the component \(i\) has the weight \(w_i\), for \(i=1,2,\ldots,n\). The system is up as long as the sum of weights of the failed components does not exceed a threshold \(T\). For binary SWCs with binary components it is proved that for any SWC of order \(n\), there is an equivalent coherent system of order no greater than \(n\). Moreover, necessary and sufficient conditions are derived for the existence of an equivalent coherent system. It is shown that the reliability importance and the structural importance of a component of a SWC are weakly monotonously increasing in the weight. Finally, so-called consecutive systems with weighted components are briefly discussed, which fail whenever the sum of weights of consecutive components exceeds the threshold.