A Study on the Impacts of Maintenance Duration on Dynamic Grouping Modeling and Optimization of Multicomponent Systems

In the framework of maintenance optimization of multicomponent systems, dynamic grouping maintenance based on rolling horizon has developed and became an interesting approach. However, most existing dynamic grouping models assume that the maintenance duration is negligible. This assumption may be not always relevant and limits the application of these models in many real situations. The first objective of this paper is to develop a dynamic grouping model in the presence of both corrective and preventive maintenance duration for complex structure systems. A new practical maintenance cost model is proposed allowing to take into consideration of maintenance duration and system structure as well as economic dependence between components. Taking into maintenance duration and system structure leads, however, to a complex grouping model, which is efficiently solved by the proposed analytical methods. The second objective is to investigate the impacts of maintenance duration on grouping modeling and grouping optimization. Both theoretical and experimental studies give a complete vision about maintenance duration impacts and some recommendations in real applications. The uses and advantages of the proposed grouping maintenance approach are illustrated through a numerical example of a six-component system.