Reliability modeling for competing failure systems with instant-shift hard failure threshold

Abstract

Many researchers have modeled systems under multiple dependent competing failure processes (MDCFP) in recent years. Typically, those failure processes consist of degradation (soft failure) and random shock (hard failure). In previous papers the threshold of hard failure has been a fixed value, which does not reflect engineering practices. Threshold refers to the ability to resist external random shocks, which shifts with time as the system is used. Thus, this paper establishes a model for MDCFP with instant-shift hard threshold. The hard failure threshold changes with time instantaneously, and it is also influenced by external shocks. This paper also presents a system reliability model. The effectiveness of the presented model is demonstrated by a reliability analysis of the micro-engine at Sandia National Laboratories. In addition, a sensitivity analysis is performed for specific parameters.