COMPLEX SYSTEM RELIABILITY OPTIMISATION: A MULTI-CRITERIA APPROACH

The optimal allocation of reliability to the components of complex systems to maximise their reliability is posed as multi-criteria optimisation. The minimum cut-sets leading to series-parallel reduction of such systems were constituted into criteria and their reliability maximised while minimising cost of improving the system's reliability. Consequently, the system reliability expression is made redundant, which simplifies the problem. The resultant nonlinear optimisation model was solved by the Weighted Sum method for the Pareto optimal component reliability values. The model was applied to a life support system. The results show that higher components'/system's reliability can be achieved using the approach.