Abstract:

In this paper, we introduce and study the shape and the behavior of the failure rate of a mixture of two populations of components with the same distribution but different ages. This type of mixture is encountered in industrial settings when new and reconditioned systems are mixed together in remanufacturing or for maintenance operations. The conditions under which such a mixture of increasing failure rate components can result in a population with modified bathtub-shaped failure rate are derived. A cost-optimal mixture strategy is developed to illustrate a successful use of new and reconditioned parts in maintenance.