Bolstering components for maximizing system lifetime

This article considers the problem of which component should be ‘bolstered’ or ‘improved’ in order to stochastically maximize the lifetime of a parallel system, series system, or in general, k-out-of-n-system. Various ways of bolstering including active redundance, standby redundancy, and burn-in are studied. Also the method of reducing working temperature or stress level according to Arrhenius models is investigated.