Optimum Maintenance with Incomplete Information.

J. E. Eckles

ResearchPublished 1967

An analysis of the maintenance of systems with randomly decreasing performance levels that can be estimated only by costly, imperfect inspection. A model is developed to determine the sequence of actions that minimizes the total cost of operation. Unlike most investigations, the study treats maintenance as a sequential decision process. This view leads to the consideration of maintenance policies in which corrective and inspection schedules are dependent on the results of recent inspections. A dynamic-programming technique is used to derive a functional equation for the optimum maintenance policy. It is shown that an optimum action (replacement, repair, inspection, etc.) is determined by the system's age and the posterior distribution over the system's states. Simple policies such as periodic inspection are readily seen to be nonoptimal in the face of irregular deterioration. 32 pp. Ref.

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 1967
  • Pages: 32
  • Document Number: RM-5390-PR

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Eckles, J. E., Optimum Maintenance with Incomplete Information. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1967. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_memoranda/RM5390.html.
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