Stochastic ordering properties for systems with dependent identically distributed components

Abstract

In this paper, we obtain ordering properties for coherent systems with possibly dependent identically distributed components. These results are based on a representation of the system reliability function as a distorted function of the common component reliability function. So, the results included in this paper can also be applied to general distorted distributions. The main advantage of these results is that they are distribution‐free with respect to the common component distribution. Moreover, they can be applied to systems with component lifetimes having a non‐exchangeable joint distribution. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.