Comparison of the replacement policy in k-out-of-n systems having dependent components

Abstract

This paper is concerned with two optimization problems for a k-out-of-n system consisting of dependent components such as finding the number of elements in the system that minimize the system's mean cost rate and the system's optimal replacement time. In previous studies, either system consisting of independent components or parallel systems, a particular case of the present study, was examined. In particular, we numerically examine how the components' dependence affects the optimal number of units and replacement time for the system, minimizing mean cost rates. We consider when the components are exchangeable and dependent, that is, the system consists of dependent components. For three vastly used Clayton, Gumbel, and FGM copula functions, comparative numerical results are presented.