| Article ID: | iaor20053055 |
| Country: | Germany |
| Volume: | 2 |
| Issue: | 4 |
| Start Page Number: | 413 |
| End Page Number: | 424 |
| Publication Date: | Dec 2000 |
| Journal: | Methodology and Computing in Applied Probability |
| Authors: | Neuts Marcel F., Lillo Rosa E. |
The optimal spacing of inspections of a parallel system with m components is determined by empirical optimization. The lifetime distributions are general. By means of a heuristic search procedure, the optimal spacing is found for a given database of lifetimes. Usually, the proposed search procedure converges very rapidly. The qualities of the optimum are ascertained by independent replications using simulated lifetime data. The results of extensive experiments are reported and interpreted.