Optimal policies for cumulative damage models with maintenance last and first

From the economical viewpoint of several combined PM policies in reliability theory, this paper takes up a standard cumulative damage model in which the notion of maintenance last is applied, i.e., the unit undergoes preventive maintenances before failure at a planned time T, at a damage level Z, or at a shock number N, whichever occurs last. Expected cost rates are detailedly formulated, and optimal problems of two alternative policies which combine time‐based with condition‐based preventive maintenances are discussed, i.e., optimal $T_L^{*}$ for N, $Z_L^{*}$ for T, and $N_L^{*}$ for T are rigorously obtained. Comparison methods between such maintenance last and conventional maintenance first are explored. It is determined theoretically and numerically which policy should be adopted, according to the different methods in different cases when the time‐based or the condition‐based PM policy is optimized.