Title: System dynamics meta-modelling for reliability considerations in maintenance

Authors: Pegah Basirat; Hamed Fazlollahtabar; Iraj Mahdavi

Addresses: Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Management and Technology, Mazandaran University of Science and Technology, Tabarsi Street, P.O. Box 734, Babol, Iran ' Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Resalat Street, 13114-16846, Tehran, Iran ' Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Management and Technology, Mazandaran University of Science and Technology, Tabarsi Street, P.O. Box 734, Babol, Iran

Abstract: To assess the capability of a maintenance system, the system reliability is one of the essential performance indicators to be applied. The study presented in this paper employs the system dynamic approach to model and analyse a maintenance system with aiming at reliability evaluation and control. In this way, series of stock and flow diagrams are integrated in order to allow the user to benefit of a high level of reliability interface. Hence, it would exploit the power of system dynamics thinking to overcome many of the difficulties. Also, the Vensim software is applied as the system dynamics modelling and simulation software. Some sensitivity analyses are presented to accurately the model structure and behaviour, too. As a result, with application and advantages of the proposed method, system administrators would have better perception for decision making in various conditions.

Keywords: maintenance systems; system reliability; system dynamics; Vensim; metamodelling; modelling; simulation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPMB.2013.057723

International Journal of Process Management and Benchmarking, 2013 Vol.3 No.2, pp.136 - 153

Published online: 12 Jul 2014 *

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