A system experiences random shocks over time, with two critical levels, d1 and d2, where $d_{1} \lt d_{2}$. k consecutive shocks with magnitudes between d1 and d2 partially damaging the system, causing it to transition to a lower, partially working state. Shocks with magnitudes above d2 have a catastrophic effect, resulting in complete failure. This theoretical framework gives rise to a multi-state system characterized by an indeterminate quantity of states. When the time between successive shocks follows a phase-type distribution, a detailed analysis of the system’s dynamic reliability properties such as the lifetime of the system, the time it spends in perfect functioning, as well as the total time it spends in partially working states are discussed.

In this paper, the multi-state survival signature is first redefined for multi-state coherent or mixed systems with independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) multi-state components. With the assumption of independence of component lifetimes at different state levels, transformation formulas of multi-state survival signatures of different sizes are established through the use of equivalent systems and a generalized triangle rule for order statistics from several independent and non-identical distributions. The results obtained facilitate stochastic comparisons of multi-state coherent or mixed systems with different numbers of i.i.d. multi-state components. Specific examples are finally presented to illustrate the transformation formulas established here, and also their use in comparing systems of different sizes.

The joint signatures of binary-state and multi-state (semi-coherent or mixed) systems with i.i.d. (independent and identically distributed) binary-state components are considered in this work. For the comparison of pairs of binary-state systems of different sizes, transformation formulas of their joint signatures are derived by using the concept of equivalent systems and a generalized triangle rule for order statistics. Similarly, for facilitating the comparison of pairs of multi-state systems of different sizes, transformation formulas of their multi-state joint signatures are also derived. Some examples are finally presented to illustrate and to verify the theoretical results established here.

In this paper we investigate the stochastic properties of the number of failed components of a three-state network. We consider a network made up of n components which is designed for a specific purpose according to the performance of its components. The network starts operating at time t = 0 and it is assumed that, at any time t > 0, it can be in one of states up, partial performance, or down. We further suppose that the state of the network is inspected at two time instants t1 and t2 (t1 < t2). Using the notion of the two-dimensional signature, the probability of the number of failed components of the network is calculated, at t1 and t2, under several scenarios about the states of the network. Stochastic and ageing properties of the proposed failure probabilities are studied under different conditions. We present some optimal age replacement policies to show applications of the proposed criteria. Several illustrative examples are also provided.