Modeling and Analysis of Complex Equipment Maintenance Dynamics

An equipment maintenance system is naturally a complex dynamical system. The effective maintenance management must be based on the knowledge of the system's intrinsic dynamics. And the structure of the maintenance system determines its behavior. This paper analyzes the basic structures and elements of a maintenance system for complex multi-components equipment. The maintenance system is considered as a dynamic system whose behavior is influenced by its structure's feedback and interaction, and the system's available resources. Building the dynamical model with Simulink, we show some results about the maintenance system's nonlinear dynamics, which are never given by stochastic process methods. The model can be used for understanding and determining maintenance system behavior, towards which operational adjustments of maintenance infrastructure, precise prediction of maintenance requirements and timely supply of maintenance resources can be made in a more informed way.