Reliability and availability analysis in practice
Reliability and availability are key attributes of technical systems. Methods of quantifying these attributes are thus essential during all phases of system lifecycle. Data (measurement)-driven methods are suitable for components or subsystems but, for the system as a whole, model-driven methods are more desirable. Simulative solution or analytic-numeric solution of the models are two major alternatives for the model-driven approach. In this chapter, we explore model-driven methods with analytic-numeric solution. Non-state-space, state-space, hierarchical, and fixed-point iterative methods are explored using real-world examples. Challenges faced by such modeling endeavors and potential solutions are described. Software package SHARPE is used for such modeling exercises.
