A reliability-centred maintenance strategy based on maintenance-free operating period philosophy and total lifetime operating cost analysis

Maintenance intervention is necessary for the equipment, such as aircraft structures and systems, to maintain their operational performance status during their lifetime. Generally maintenance costs make a significant contribution to overall operating costs. Accordingly, developing an optimal maintenance strategy to minimize maintenance costs and total lifetime operating cost (TLOC) is a critical task. This article proposes a methodology for the optimization of a reliability-centred maintenance strategy based on maintenance-free operating period (MFOP) philosophy by considering the TLOC. The method can be used to evaluate the TLOC of alternative maintenance strategies and determine the optimal maintenance interval while meeting the proposed reliability requirements. The method is also suitable for evaluating and optimizing the MFOP-based reliability design of the products. An example based on line replaceable unit replacement strategy is introduced to illustrate the proposed maintenance strategy optimization approach. And a sensitivity analysis on the TLOC index for each of the two reliability requirement parameters is also performed.