On parallel machine replacement problems with general replacement cost functions and stochastic deterioration

The parallel machine replacement problem consists of finding a minimum cost replacement policy for a finite population of economically interdependent machines. In this paper, we formulate a stochastic version of the problem and analyze the structure of optimal policies under general classes of replacement cost functions. We prove that for problems with arbitrary cost functions, there can be optimal policies where a machine is replaced only if all machines in worse states are replaced (Worse Cluster Replacement Rule). We then show that, for problems with replacement cost functions exhibiting nonincreasing marginal costs, there are optimal policies such that, in any stage, machines in the same state are either all kept or all replaced (No‐Splitting Rule). We also present an example that shows that economies of scale in replacement costs do not guarantee optimal policies that satisfy the No‐Splitting Rule. These results lead to the fundamental insight that replacement decisions are driven by marginal costs, and not by economies of scale as suggested in the literature. Finally, we describe how the optimal policy structure, i.e., the No‐Splitting and Worse Cluster Replacement Rules, can be used to reduce the computational effort required to obtain optimal replacement policies. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2005     

A generalization of the weighted set covering problem

We study a generalization of the weighted set covering problem where every element needs to be covered multiple times. When no set contains more than two elements, we can solve the problem in polynomial time by solving a corresponding weighted perfect b‐matching problem. In general, we may use a polynomial‐time greedy heuristic similar to the one for the classical weighted set covering problem studied by D.S. Johnson [Approximation algorithms for combinatorial problems, J Comput Syst Sci 9 (1974), 256–278], L. Lovasz [On the ratio of optimal integral and fractional covers, Discrete Math 13 (1975), 383–390], and V. Chvatal [A greedy heuristic for the set‐covering problem, Math Oper Res 4(3) (1979), 233–235] to get an approximate solution for the problem. We find a worst‐case bound for the heuristic similar to that for the classical problem. In addition, we introduce a general type of probability distribution for the population of the problem instances and prove that the greedy heuristic is asymptotically optimal for instances drawn from such a distribution. We also conduct computational studies to compare solutions resulting from running the heuristic and from running the commercial integer programming solver CPLEX on problem instances drawn from a more specific type of distribution. The results clearly exemplify benefits of using the greedy heuristic when problem instances are large. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2005     

面向装备全寿命周期的维修发展新特点及技术体系

针对新技术发展及军事装备保障需求变化对装备维修保障的影响,以装备全系统、全寿命的观点,探讨了装备维修发展的新特点,构建了面向装备全寿命周期的新型维修技术体系,并综述了基于信息的先进维修技术发展方向,为装备维修保障研究提供了参考。     

基于过载的制导炮弹非线性控制系统设计

针对制导炮弹模型中的非线性和耦合性,提出一种基于过载的制导炮弹非线性控制系统设计方法,建立了炮弹的过载时变模型,在俯仰和偏航通道控制器设计过程中加入了一阶低通滤波器,消除了“计算膨胀”的难题,并通过非线性阻尼项消除外界扰动,最后由Lyapunov理论证明了系统是半全局域渐近稳定的,能准确跟踪指定过载。     

Designing a degradation experiment

Degradation experiments are widely used to assess the reliability of highly reliable products which are not likely to fail under the traditional life tests. In order to conduct a degradation experiment efficiently, several factors, such as the inspection frequency, the sample size, and the termination time, need to be considered carefully. These factors not only affect the experimental cost, but also affect the precision of the estimate of a product's lifetime. In this paper, we deal with the optimal design of a degradation experiment. Under the constraint that the total experimental cost does not exceed a predetermined budget, the optimal decision variables are solved by minimizing the variance of the estimated 100pth percentile of the lifetime distribution of the product. An example is provided to illustrate the proposed method. Finally, a simulation study is conducted to investigate the robustness of this proposed method. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 46: 689–706, 1999     

A general model for accelerated life testing with time‐dependent covariates

This paper introduces a general or “distribution‐free” model to analyze the lifetime of components under accelerated life testing. Unlike the accelerated failure time (AFT) models, the proposed model shares the advantage of being “distribution‐free” with the proportional hazard (PH) model and overcomes the deficiency of the PH model not allowing survival curves corresponding to different values of a covariate to cross. In this research, we extend and modify the extended hazard regression (EHR) model using the partial likelihood function to analyze failure data with time‐dependent covariates. The new model can be easily adopted to create an accelerated life testing model with different types of stress loading. For example, stress loading in accelerated life testing can be a step function, cyclic, or linear function with time. These types of stress loadings reduce the testing time and increase the number of failures of components under test. The proposed EHR model with time‐dependent covariates which incorporates multiple stress loadings requires further verification. Therefore, we conduct an accelerated life test in the laboratory by subjecting components to time‐dependent stresses, and we compare the reliability estimation based on the developed model with that obtained from experimental results. The combination of the theoretical development of the accelerated life testing model verified by laboratory experiments offers a unique perspective to reliability model building and verification. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 46: 303–321, 1999     

Pairwise model discrimination with applications in lifetime distributions and degradation processes

Reliability data obtained from life tests and degradation tests have been extensively used for purposes such as estimating product reliability and predicting warranty costs. When there is more than one candidate model, an important task is to discriminate between the models. In the literature, the model discrimination was often treated as a hypothesis test and a pairwise model discrimination procedure was carried out. Because the null distribution of the test statistic is unavailable in most cases, the large sample approximation and the bootstrap were frequently used to find the acceptance region of the test. Although these two methods are asymptotically accurate, their performance in terms of size and power is not satisfactory in small sample size. To enhance the small‐sample performance, we propose a new method to approximate the null distribution, which builds on the idea of generalized pivots. Conventionally, the generalized pivots were often used for interval estimation of a certain parameter or function of parameters in presence of nuisance parameters. In this study, we further extend the idea of generalized pivots to find the acceptance region of the model discrimination test. Through extensive simulations, we show that the proposed method performs better than the existing methods in discriminating between two lifetime distributions or two degradation models over a wide range of sample sizes. Two real examples are used to illustrate the proposed methods.     

A O(nm log(U/n)) time maximum flow algorithm

In this paper, we present an O(nm log(U/n)) time maximum flow algorithm. If U = O(n) then this algorithm runs in O(nm) time for all values of m and n. This gives the best available running time to solve maximum flow problems satisfying U = O(n). Furthermore, for unit capacity networks the algorithm runs in O(n^2/3m) time. It is a two‐phase capacity scaling algorithm that is easy to implement and does not use complex data structures. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 47: 511–520, 2000     

武警部队院校士官教员的使用培养及管理探究

随着武警部队编制体制的不断调整,士官教员逐步成为院校人才教育的重要组成部分。武警院校应发挥士官教育的优势,不断健全士官教员的培养机制、科学合理的管理模式,使士官教员成为新型军事人才培养的有力推手和有益补充,进一步科学提升武警院校学员满足第一任职的需求及院校教育的发展。     

班组遥控武器站模糊自适应滑模位置控制器设计

针对班组遥控武器站位置伺服系统发射冲击力矩大、负载变化范围广和伺服精度要求高等特点,提出了一种模糊调节的位置伺服系统滑模控制策略。该策略选用了一种新型的带有积分的滑模面,模糊调节部分采用单输入双输出的结构,应用模糊规则调节新型快速终端滑模型趋近速率来削弱滑模抖振。分别进行了常值负载干扰、系统参数摄动、时变负载干扰和跟踪误差仿真实验。仿真实验表明,该控制策略的稳定性和伺服跟踪性很好,对参数摄动和负载干扰的鲁棒性很强。