Reliability analysis for multi-component degraded system subject to multiple dependent competing failure process

Concerning on estimating reliability and performance distribution of multi-component degraded system which subject to multiple dependent competing failure process, we proposed an algorithm integrating and utilizing the basic degradation information of constituted components and failure propagation theory. On the basis of known basic degradation information of components, we introduced the proportional hazards model (PHM) to describe the effect of environmental stress and degradation interactions from other components, which impact others through changing some intermediate media such as raising the temperature, increasing the current and so on. The reliability of system was evaluated with multi-state system theory, and the system structure function was obtained by response surface methodology (RSM). Then we utilized the Monte Carlo method to sample the pseudo lifetime of system, and distribution test was adopted to obtain the reliability function. A numerical example was also given to illustrate the proposed model.