A survey of maintenance models for multi-unit systems

This paper surveys the literature related to optimal maintenance and replacement models for multi-unit systems. The emphasis is on work appearing since the 1976 survey A Survey of Maintenance Models: The Control and Surveillance of Deteriorating Systems by W.P. Pierskalla and J.A. Voelker. The literature is divided into five topical categories: machine interference/ repair models, group/ block/ cannibalization/ opportunistic models, inventory/ maintenance models, other maintenance/ replacement models, and inspection/ maintenance models. This paper also provides the reader with a quick guide to a variety of classification schemes. Each of the alternative classification schemes also provides an indication as to the categorization of each of the surveyed articles.