Computing and Applying the Signature of a System With Two Common Failure Criteria

Abstract

The signature of a system is a useful tool in a variety of applications including the evaluation of the reliability characteristics of systems, and the comparison of the performance of competing systems. We study the evaluation and application of signatures of systems involving two common failure criteria which are common in real life applications. The failure or survival of these systems generally depends on the number of consecutively failed or working components, or total number of failed or working components in the whole system. We provide a method for obtaining the signatures of such systems. Applications of the results are also presented.