New approximate solutions per unit of time for periodically checked systems with different lifetime distributions (Q955464)

Summary: Systems with different life-time distributions, associated with increasing, decreasing, constant, and bathtub-shaped hazard rates, are examined. It is assumed that a failure is only detected if the systems are inspected. New approximate solutions for the inspection period and for the expected duration of hidden faults are presented, on the basis of the assumption that only periodic and perfect inspections are carried out. By minimizing total expected cost per unit of time, on the basis of numerical results and a range of comparisons, the conclusion is drawn that these new approximate solutions are extremely useful and simple to put into practice.