Optimum Preventive Maintenance Policies

TLDR

Two types of preventive maintenance policies are considered, with an optimum policy defined as one that maximizes limiting efficiency, the fractional amount of up‑time over long intervals. Elementary renewal theory is employed to derive optimum policies, which are then compared under specific restrictions. The optimum policies are uniquely determined as solutions of integral equations based on the failure distribution, and both are also minimum‑cost solutions under appropriate identifications.

Abstract

Two types of preventive maintenance policies are considered. A policy is defined to be optimum if it maximizes “limiting efficiency,” i.e., fractional amount of up-time over long intervals. Elementary renewal theory is used to obtain optimum policies. The optimum policies are determined, in each case, as unique solutions of certain integral equations depending on the failure distribution. It is shown that both solutions are also minimum cost solutions when the proper identifications are made. The two optimum policies are compared under certain restrictions.