Extended block replacement policy with used item and general random minimal repair cost (Q1342639)

The author considers an extension of Tango's extended block replacement policy [see \textit{T. Tango}, IEEE Trans. Reliab. R-28, 400-401 (1979; Zbl 0421.62074)].\ The new proposal is as follows: (i) An operating system is replaced preventively by a new one at times \(kT\), \(k\in \mathbb{N}\). (ii) If the system fails in \([(k- 1)T, kT- \delta)\), it is either replaced by a new one or minimally repaired according to a given probability which depends on the age of the failed system. (iii) If it fails in \([kT- \delta, kT)\), it is either replaced by a used system with age varying from \(\delta\) to \(T\) or minimally repaired according to a given probability which depends on the residual age of the used system. (iv) For all the policy steps cost functions are given. An optimal policy is a pair \((T^*, \delta^*)\), \(0\leq \delta^*\leq T^*\), which minimizes the expected long-run cost per unit time. The function which is to be minimized with respect to \(\delta\) and \(T\) is calculated explicitly but it turns out that in most realistic cases the minimization cannot be carried out analytically. Finally, it is shown that many of the block replacement models known up to now are special cases of the model in this paper.