Dynamic signatures and their use in comparing the reliability of new and used systems

The signature of a system with independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) component lifetimes is a vector whose ith element is the probability that the ith component failure is fatal to the system. System signatures have been found to be quite useful tools in the study and comparison of engineered systems. In this article, the theory of system signatures is extended to versions of signatures applicable in dynamic reliability settings. It is shown that, when a working used system is inspected at time t and it is noted that precisely k failures have occurred, the vector s [0,1]^n‐k whose jth element is the probability that the (k + j)th component failure is fatal to the system, for j = 1,2,2026;,n ‐ k, is a distribution‐free measure of the design of the residual system. Next, known representation and preservation theorems for system signatures are generalized to dynamic versions. Two additional applications of dynamic signatures are studied in detail. The well‐known “new better than used” (NBU) property of aging systems is extended to a uniform (UNBU) version, which compares systems when new and when used, conditional on the known number of failures. Sufficient conditions are given for a system to have the UNBU property. The application of dynamic signatures to the engineering practice of “burn‐in” is also treated. Specifically, we consider the comparison of new systems with working used systems burned‐in to a given ordered component failure time. In a reliability economics framework, we illustrate how one might compare a new system to one successfully burned‐in to the kth component failure, and we identify circumstances in which burn‐in is inferior (or is superior) to the fielding of a new system. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2009     

任务空间概念模型VV&A研究

任务空间概念模型是现实世界军事知识的第一层抽象,是仿真系统开发的业务基础。所以任务空间概念模型的质量直接影响到仿真系统的质量,任务空间概念模型自身的VV&A是一个非常值得关注的问题。任务空间概念建模本质上看是军事领域的知识表示或者需求描述,定性描述占主要,定量成分非常少。因此,传统的通过分析输出数据的方法不能适应任务空间概念模型的特点。概要介绍了任务空间概念模型建模,并且提出了从专家法、静态校核机制、概念执行机制三个角度来考察模型质量的思路。     

支座弹性对压杆临界荷载的影响

在考虑支座弹性的情况下 ,研究了几种常见的压杆结构 ,推导出了计算临界荷载的方程式 ,给出了以稳定系数表示的临界压力的简明表达式及稳定系数列表。由于考虑了支座弹性 ,使本文提出的方法更具有一般意义和工程价值。     

Disruption management in production planning

We study the problem of recovering a production plan after a disruption, where the disruption may be caused by incidents such as power failure, market change, machine breakdown, supply shortage, worker no‐show, and others. The new recovery plan we seek after has to not only suit the changed environment brought about by the disruption, but also be close to the initial plan so as not to cause too much customer unsatisfaction or inconvenience for current‐stage and downstream operations. For the general‐cost case, we propose a dynamic programming method for the problem. For the convex‐cost case, a general problem which involves both cost and demand disruptions can be solved by considering the cost disruption first and then the demand disruption. We find that a pure demand disruption is easy to handle; and for a pure cost disruption, we propose a greedy method which is provably efficient. Our computational studies also reveal insights that will be helpful to managing disruptions in production planning. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2005.     

Insurgency by the numbers I: A reconsideration of the ecology of communist success in jiangxi province,China

Theorizing about Taliban operations in Afghanistan has its limits and it is possible that Kabul-centric strategies do not adequately address the unique circumstances of each region in the country. How exactly has the Taliban gone about attaining its objectives in Kandahar province and how have those approaches evolved since 2002? And how have the Taliban adapted to coalition forces' attempts to compete with the insurgency and stamp it out? The answers to these questions are critical in the formulation of any counterinsurgency approach to Afghanistan.     

软件可靠性分配的遗传模型研究

对软件可靠性分配的遗传模型进行了研究,结合相关知识缩小了基本遗传算法的搜索区域,比较灵活地处理了非线性约束条件,提高了搜索效率,避免了早熟收敛现象.此外,在基本遗传算法中增加了保优操作,从而能够在理论上保证实现分配的最优化.算例表明,该算法十分有效.     

Partial equilibrium in risk‐based production decisions

Characteristically, a small subset of operational problems admit risk neutrality when contingent claims methodology were used in their analysis. That is, for the majority of manufacturing and production problems, operating cash flows are not directly linked to prices of traded assets. However, to the extent that correlations can be estimated, the methodology's applicability to a broader set of operational problems is supported. Our article addresses this issue with the objective of extending the use of contingent claims techniques to a larger set of operational problems. In broad terms, this objective entails a partial equilibrium approach to the problem of valuing uncertain cash flows. To this end, we assume risk aversion and cast our approach within Merton's intertemporal capital asset pricing model. In this context, we formulate a “generic” production valuation model that is framed as an exercise in stochastic optimal control. The model is versatile in its characterization and can easily be adapted to accommodate a wide‐ranging set of risk‐based operational problems where the underlying sources of uncertainty are not traded. To obtain results, the model is recast as a stochastic dynamic program to be solved numerically. The article addresses a number of fundamental issues in the analysis risk based decision problems in operations. First, in the approach provided, decisions are analyzed under a properly defined risk structure. Second, the process of analysis leads to suitably adjusted probability distributions through which, appropriately discounted expectations are derived. Third, through consolidating existing concepts into a standard and adaptable framework, we extend the applicability of contingent claims methodology to a broader set of operational problems. The approach is advantageous as it obviates the need for exogenously specifying utility functions or discount rates.© 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2011     

油罐基础渗漏油气扩散模型研究

基于油罐基础渗漏特征,结合实验数据,提出油罐动态渗漏边界条件,建立油罐基础渗漏油气扩散数学模型。采用有限差分法对扩散过程进行数值模拟,结合同工况实验室及现场油罐基础渗漏数据进行对比分析,并对模型的准确性和可靠度进行了验证。结果表明,模型计算结果与实验数据吻合较好,相对误差在可接受范围内,该模型能够准确预测监测点油气到达时刻,揭示油气渗漏扩散规律。     

基于双特征参数解的直杆弹性动力后屈曲研究

利用差分方法求解动力后屈曲非线性方程解,研究了弹性直杆的2类轴向碰撞屈曲问题.将双特征参数解得出的含有小幅值参数的初始动力屈曲模态作为非线性后屈曲解的初始条件.理论计算的结果与文献中的实验数据达到了很好的一致,由此验证了双特征参数方法的正确性.研究结果还揭示了碰撞过程中屈曲变形扩展和发展的机理,以及轴向应力波和屈曲变形的相互作用规律.     

Optimal inventory control policy for periodic‐review inventory systems with inventory‐level‐dependent demand

We consider a setting in which inventory plays both promotional and service roles; that is, higher inventories not only improve service levels but also stimulate demand by serving as a promotional tool (e.g., as the result of advertising effect by the enhanced product visibility). Specifically, we study the periodic‐review inventory systems in which the demand in each period is uncertain but increases with the inventory level. We investigate the multiperiod model with normal and expediting orders in each period, that is, any shortage will be met through emergency replenishment. Such a model takes the lost sales model as a special case. For the cases without and with fixed order costs, the optimal inventory replenishment policy is shown to be of the base‐stock type and of the (s,S) type, respectively. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2012