Study of a Random Warranty Model Maintaining Fairness and a Random Replacement Next Model Sustaining Post-Warranty Reliability

Abstract

With the help of advanced digital technologies, product managers can use monitored mission cycles to sustain product reliability. In this study, a random warranty model and a random replacement next (RRN) model are designed to sustain the through-life reliability of the product with monitored mission cycles. The designed random warranty, called a two-stage two-dimensional free repair warranty (2DFRW), can be carried out to sustain the reliability of the product during the warranty stage. In this warranty, ‘whichever occurs first and last’ is used to distinguish the coverage ranges of the latter stage warranties, which is to maintain the warranty fairness by removing the inequity of the former stage warranty. The RRN can be performed to sustain post-warranty reliability, which defines that if the limited number of mission cycles is completed before a working time, then the product will be replaced at next mission cycle completion to extend remaining service life; otherwise, the product will be replaced at a working time. Under the case of the two-stage 2DFRW, the cost rate of the RRN is constructed based on the renewable reward theorem. By simplifying the parameters, some derivative models of the cost rate are presented. Numerical analysis is performed to explore characteristics.