Optimization of test strategies: a general approach

A general approach to optimizing the test schedules of the standby system is proposed. The system consists of interrelated component groups with different test intervals. Fault-tree analysis and Markov chains were used to estimate the unavailability of the system. In three partial cases, the average unavailability of the system was calculated through the average unavailability of its components. For a system where tests were started randomly, the problem was reduced to a nonlinear programming problem, for which the numerical technique (gradient methods) is proposed and tested with some examples. In the general case a technique to calculate the average unavailability is proposed, and the problem is reduced to a nonsmooth optimization problem.