Simultaneous optimization of level of repair and spare parts allocation for MIME systems under availability constraint with simulation and a meta-heuristic

In this paper, an analysis problem of repair levels and spare part allocation for MIME(Multi indenture multi echelon) systems is studied using simulation and meta-heuristics. We suggest a method to determine simultaneously repair levels and spare parts allocation to minimize the life cycle cost of MIME system under availability constraint. A simulated annealing method is used to analyze the repair levels and genetic algorithm is used to obtain the optimal allocation of spare parts. We also develop a simulation system to calculate the life cycle cost and system availability. Some numerical examples are also studied.