Reliability evaluation of multi-state series systems with performance sharing

In this paper, a new reliability model for a multi-state system (MSS) with performance sharing is proposed. The MSS consists of N multi-state units connected in series. Each unit in the system has a random performance level and a random demand. If the performance of a unit exceeds its demand, the surplus performance can be transmitted to its adjacent units through intermediate transmitters. Each transmitter has a random capacity, through which only a limited amount of performance can be transmitted. The entire system fails if the demand of any unit is not satisfied. An algorithm based on the universal generating function (UGF) is developed to evaluate the reliability of the system. Analytical and numerical examples are provided to validate the proposed method. Examples show that the developed algorithm is efficient in system reliability evaluation.