1

BASED ON THE REPORT OF EXAMINER II

The research scholar is very much grateful to you for scrutinizing the thesis and
offering the most valuable suggestions which is very helpful not only for the
improvement of the quality of the present work but also for pursuing further research
after acquiring Ph.D, under your able scrutiny. This is a study undertaken by the
research scholar in the area of reliability analysis of (k,n) system using the
mathematical analysis. Hence the research scholar would like to humbly submit that
the work leading to Ph.D is submitted under the faculty of Mathematics. As per the
suggestions given by you, the scholar has carried out the corrections to the best of her
knowledge. The scholar is thankful to you and appreciates the effort taken by you to
ensure the clarity and authenticity in her work. Your kind observation is hereby
solicited over the corrections carried out in the thesis.
CLARIFICATIONS
Query 1. Many a time the author cites the work of Rau as for example on page
47; Rau in his book analyzed the reliability of (m,n) systems with parallel repair.
Based on that, the reliability analysis of k-out-of-n system with parallel repair is
as follows. So it is not clear what follows is taken from that book (in this case it
should have been mentioned in the preliminaries of the first chapter) or if here
the original work the author starts, I would think it is from the book as on page
49 it is written: then the following equations are derived(derived by who?
Derived how?).
CORRECTIONS CARRIED OUT:
In Chapter 2, the reliability analysis of repairable k-out-of-n systems with
sensor has been analyzed by the research scholar. This analysis starts from section 2.3,
where the subtitle is given as reliability analysis of k-out-of-n systems with sensor.
From that section onwards the derivation is being solved by the author with reference
to the previous works carried out by Rau (1970) and Joseph and Manohar (1998).
The results in Section 2.2 The reliability analysis of (k,n) system with parallel repair
is the work executed by Rau and the author would like to humbly draw the attention
of the esteemed examiner, to the citation made earlier in the beginning of the section
2.2. The citation referred in section 2.2 and the equations 2.1 to 2.11 are the original
published work of Rau (1970). This reference has been quoted to draw the support of
the already published work, to this new approach of the author, which the author
perceives, that the results of Rau (1970) would give a fine platform for the
authenticity of the present work.
The examiner has asked that section 2.2 may be included in the introductory
part. Since there are equations, expressions and methodology to be used for
comparison, I included Raus work as a section in the corresponding chapter as a
citation section.

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Query 2. Numerical results in Page No.60 in Section 2.4.2.: are these the results of
Rau or not?
CORRECTIONS CARRIED OUT:
The author has tried to extensively study the transient analysis of (1,2) system
with sensor, as reported in section 2.4.1.To validate the expression 2.51, the
author has taken the reported work (1,2) system with and without repair and
without sensor- of Rau (1970), for reference and comparison
Please refer pages 60 and 61:
For the validity and the comparison, the reference of Rau (1970) is
considered. According to his results

MTSF1
The MTSF of the (1, 2) system without repair is

3
2

MTSF2
Also, the MTSF of the (1, 2) system with repair is

(2.52)

3
2 2

(2.53)

Both the above results are for (1,2) system without sensor. As derived in the
previous section, The MTSF of the (1, 2) system with repair and sensor is

MTSF3

3 4
2( ) 2

(2.54)

These results along with the result of MTSF of (1,2) system with sensor derived in
Section 2.4 are taken for numerical computation and the comparison is shown as in
Table (2.1) and figure (2.1).
Query 3: In Page No.67 it is written: in state (i,A) the following equations are
obtained; how are they obtained?
CORRECTIONS CARRIED OUT:
In state (i,A), there is only regular sensor and service facility. The expressions

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for the set of equations are obtained with the usual definition of transient analysis of
system with repair and sensor as explained in the previous chapter with the revised
notations. It has been explained and the correction is being carried out in the same
section in the revised thesis.
Please refer pages 67 and 68:
In state (i, A), there is only regular repair and sensor and service, the system balance
equations for the transient analysis is as follows:

dP0,A (t)
dt
dPi,A (t)
dt

( 0 0 )P0,A (t) (1 1 )P1,A (t)

(i i 2 i )Pi,A (t) (i i )Pi 1,A (t) ( i 1 i 1 )Pi 1,A (t)

for

1 i M 1

dPM,A (t)
( M M 2 M )PM,A (t) ( M M )PM,B (t) ( M 1 M 1 )PM 1,A (t)
dt

(3.2)
When the number of failed components becomes equal to the threshold
value, the additional sensor and service facility becomes active and the system will be
in state (i, B). Therefore, the balance equations in that state are the following:

dPi,B (t)
dt

( i 1 i i i 1 )Pi,B (t) (i i )Pi 1,B (t) (i i )Pi 1,B (t)

for

dPN k,B (t)

and

dt

M 1 i N K 1

( N k N k )PNk ,B (t) ( N k N k )PN k 1,B (t)

(3.3)

Query 4: Also on the same page the index i is omitted, in the definition of the
repair rate.
CORRECTIONS CARRIED OUT:
In page 67, in the definition for repair rate
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, it has been found that index i

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has been missing and research scholar noticed the serious error and carried out the
necessary correction the revised version.
i 1, 2,3,....M

i
i M 1, M 2,..., N K 1
m
, a typographical error which
the author regrets.
Query 5: Sometimes the name equation has been misrepresented as on page
No.69, formula 3.8 is not an equation (there is not an unknown) but an
expression. Similarly for expression 3.14, 3.20,
CORRECTIONS CARRIED OUT:
The author is grateful for making to understand a new concept from your
observation. Since there is an equal to sign in expressions 3.8, 3.14,3.20etc.,
the researcher thought that the word equation has to be used. But, you have
explained that as there is no unknown, the term expression has to be used. The
necessary correction is carried out.
Query 6: How are expressions 3.19, 3.24, 3.25 obtained?
CORRECTIONS CARRIED OUT:
It has been noticed that some steps have been omitted in the derivation of
3.19, 3.24, 3.25 All these have been included in the revised version to the best of the
knowledge. The author pleads to go through them.
In the revised version, as the researcher included some more steps in some
derivations the equations are renumbered. The equation number 3.19 of the old
version of the thesis is now reconstructed and derived as follows.

f (t)
The failure

density function is

d
d
d
R(t) 1 PN K 1,B (t) PN K 1,B (t)
dt
dt
dt

N k 1
d

a 0 a i e it
dt
i 1

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(3.20)

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The expression for

ai

and

a0

are substituted from equation (3.17) and simplified. Thus,

the expression for failure density function is

f (t) ( 0 0 )(1 1 )....( N K N K )

e i t

N K 1

i 1

N K 1

j1
j i

( j i )
(3.21)

Similarly, the previous equations 3.24 and 3.25 in the old edition are now
equations 3.26 and 3.27 respectively.
Let, P denote the revenue per unit time per operating system and C is the
operating cost per system. Also, when regular repairmen are in service, the cost per
system is C1. Therefore the expectation of the profit per unit time with Single Sensor
Model (SSM)
= (Total Revenue-Cost) Expected number of components in operation in Single
Sensor Model (SSM)

(P C)

N k 1

(N i)P

i,A

i 0

Expected cost of regular sensor and repair facility

C1

N k 1

iP

i,A

i 0

(3.26)

If there is additional sensor and repair facility, the cost per unit time for the
system is C2. Thus the expected profit per unit time with Additional Sensor Model
(ASM)
= (Total Revenue-Cost) Expected number of components in operation in Additional
Sensor Model Expected cost of regular sensor and repair facility

Expected cost of

additional sensor and repair facility

(P C)

N k

(N i)P
i 0

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i,A

Nk

C1 (N i 1)Pi,B C1 iPi,A C 2 (i 1)Pi,B

i M
i 0
i M

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(3.27)

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Query 7: How are expressions 5.27, 5.29 obtained?

The steps for obtaining expressions 5.27 and 5.29 are now included in the
revised edition as follows.
CORRECTIONS CARRIED OUT:
From the definition of Tm given in the previous section and the equations (5.22)
the following results are obtained. Integrating equations (5.22) over the interval

0 t

using the results given in equation (5.9)

dP0 (t)
n( 0 0 )P0 (t) (1 1 )P1 (t)
dt
1 n( 0 0 )T0 (1 1 )T1

T0
Thus,

1 (1 )T1
n( )

Similarly, integrating

(5.27)

dPn (t)
( n 1 n 1 )pPn 1 (t) ( n n )Pn (t)
dt

Tn 1
and substituting (5.9),

Tn ( n n )
( n 1 n 1 )p

By, recursive substitution of these equations in (5.22), the following equation follows.

Ti

Ti 1 (i 1 )
(n i)( )p

for

1 i n

From the results, by recursive substitution in equation (5.22) the following

expressions are obtained.

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For single repair facility

for

1 i n

and

n 1
1
1
1
Tn (1 p)( )

(n 1)! ( )p
i 1 (n i 1)! p ( )p

For multiple repair facility

i i

and

for

n i

(5.28)

1 i n

n 1

Tn ( )(1 p) n

p( )
i 1

n
1
n i

i
p p(
)

n 1

(5.29)

Query 8: I checked the calculation of the limit on page 106 and I found that it is
not correct. So expression 4.85 is not correct.
CORRECTIONS CARRIED OUT:
The author regrets the inadvertent mistake committed due to oversight. It is now
rectified.
Query 9: What is the meaning of the first sentence of section 3.4?
CORRECTIONS CARRIED OUT:
The sentence was The definition of basic probability derived the following
results.The sentence is written in order to explain that the expected number of
components in operation for both the models is obtained using the definition of
expectation of a random variable. i.e.
incorporated.

E ( X ) iPi

for

0in

.Now the correction is

Expected number of components in operation in Additional Sensor Model (ASM) is

equal to
M

(N i)P
i 0

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i,A

N k

(N i 1)Pi,B
i M

DOCTORAL COMMITTEE MEMBER I

(3.30)

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Expected number of components in operation in Single Sensor Model

N k 1

(N i)P

(SSM) is equal to

i 0

*
i,A

(3.31)

Expected number of components waiting for or receiving repair in

M

N k

i 0

iM

iPi,A (i 1)Pi,B
Additional Sensor Model (ASM) is equal to

(3.32)

Expected number of components waiting for or receiving repair in Single

N k 1

iP

Sensor Model (SSM) is equal to

i 0

*
i,A

(3.33)

*
Pi,A

Here,
is the probability that the system works with single sensor and
repair facility. No additional facility is available for this state.
Query 10: The author should state very clearly if the results are original and if
yes how the results are obtained and preferably in the usual mathematical form
of proposition and proof.
The author swear says that all that is reported in the thesis are very much the
original work done sincerely and it is the extension of the already reported works in
the field. As the thesis is on the topic of applied mathematics, the author couldnt
follow the usual mathematical analysis of theorem and proof method. Kindly accept
the findings as they are based on the genuine and original study of the author.
The researcher regrets the errors in the thesis due to the inadvertent mistakes
committed during the preparation and proofreading of the report. As per the
instructions cited in the examiners evaluation report, the author has keenly observed
the areas and carried out the corrections as far as possible. Hence, the author humbly
pleads your goodself to reconsider of the above mentioned areas and offer a positive
comment for the recommendation of her thesis.
BASED ON THE REPORT OF EXAMINER I
Pi , A (t ) Pi , B (t )

Query: 1. In page xvi-xviii, at time t is missing in P

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(t),

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m f (t )

pj(t),

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I have made the above corrections in pages xvi, xvii and xviii.
Query: 2.In page xvii, C-Operating cost per system. I assume that, one system
consideration
I have made the above correction in page xvii.
Query: 3.In page 3, last statement replace set by state.
I have made the above correction in page 3. A Markov process whose state space is
discrete is called a Markov chain.
Query: 4.In page 5, big O is used instead of small o. It is a mistake. Author is
requested to correct all the places in the thesis wherever big O is typed.
I regret for the mistake. I have done the necessary corrections in all the places in the
thesis wherever big O is used.
Query: 5. In page 7, the following statement is wrong. but the time spent in
the state before the transition occurs, is random. It is still random, but it may
follow exponential distribution
I have made the above correction in page 7.
Query: 6. In page 17, Poisson distribution is described. It has probability mass
function not probability density function. The second paragraph discusses
Poisson process with the started sentence Poisson distribution.
I have made the above correction in page 17.
Another commonly used distribution is Poisson distribution which is a limiting case of
a binomial distribution with parameters as

and probability of success is very

small such that =np. The probability mass function of the Poisson distribution is
stated as

e x
P(X x)
x!

for x 0,1, 2,...,

.

(1.7)

The Poisson Process is used generally to model the random event such as
random failures in non-overlapping intervals of times. The probability of the
occurrence of the random event in intervals of the same length is identical and does
not depend on the location.
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10

Query: 7. In page 18, instead of variance standard deviation is written.

I have made the above correction in page 18. The mean of the distribution is
2

known as time to failure (MTTF) for constant hazard rate and variance is

, also

1
2

Query: 8. In page 19, reference for Weibull (1951) is missing at the end.
I have included the Reference.
Wallodi Weibull. A Statistical Distribution Function of Wide Applicability, ASME
Journal of Applied Mechanics, Transaction of the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers, Vol. 18, No.3, pp. 293-297, Sept. 1951.
Query: 9. In page 22, MTSF is referred as the mean time to first failure.
I have made the above correction in page 22. MTSF is the mean time to system failure
while MTBF is the mean time between two successive component failures.
Query: 10. There is no citation for sensor in the whole section.
I have made the above correction the citation is included.
Query: 11. The reference for Rau (1970) is missing at the end. Author is
requested to cross check all the references.
The reference was there. All the references are cross checked
John, G. Rau. Optimization and Probability in systems Engineering, Van Nostrand
Reinhold Company, 1970.
Query: 12. In page 38 Krishnamoorthy et al. (2001,2002,2004) are wrong. Few
articles are with two authors.
I have made the correction in page 38.
Query: 13. In page 42, replace Chapman-Kolmogorov forward equations with
Kolmogorov forward equations.
I have made the correction in page 42. Kolmogorov forward equations and Laplace
transform techniques are used to derive, the steady state availability and MTTFF of
the system.
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11

Query: 14. In many places author uses the word done. Author is requested to
replace done with a better and correct word which suits to the corresponding
statement.
I have done the necessary corrections in all the places in the thesis.
Query: 15. In page 49, to get steady state results, why Laplace Transform is
needed?
The method of solution of system of balance equations with the initial conditions is
very tedious. Also, by using Laplace Transform simplification of these expressions is
very easy. So to find the steady state solution Laplace Transform method is used.
Query: 16. In page 55, Q matrix is not a symmetric matrix.
I regret for the error. It is a real tri-diagonal matrix. Equations (2.20) and (2.21) is
expressed as
where

QP I n k 2

Q Q* s

is a

(n k 2) n k 2

(2.22)
real tri diagonal matrix.

Query: 17. In page 81, replace Zhang and Zuo (2003) by Zhang et al. (2003).
I have done the necessary corrections. As some more steps included in the thesis page
number has been changed and it is in page 83. Zhang et al (2003) obtained the
reliability indices for a circular system with a single repairman. They analyzed a
repairable circular consecutive-2-out-of-n system with priority in repair.
Query: 18. In page 92 and 100, j\in Q are wrong.
I made the necessary corrections in page 94 and 102.
Query: 19. Reference 87 is with Wiley, 2001.
I made the necessary corrections. Trivedi, K.S. Probability and Statistics with
Reliability, Queuing and Computer Science Applications, 2nd edition, John Wiley and
Sons , 2001.

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