Comprehensive Complexity-Based Failure Modeling for Maintainability and Serviceability

Failures are the primary triggers for repair and maintenance actions. A clear definition of failure events is important in order to improve maintainability and serviceability. A comprehensive complexity-based mathematical definition of failure is introduced. The applicability of the developed failure model to different complexity definitions is discussed. A new metric is introduced to capture the change in complexity associated with function degradation. A case study is presented to illustrate the application of the new failure definition and metric. The developed approach for failure modeling can be used for maintenance planning.