A regression metamodel of a maintenance float problem with Erlang-2 failure distribution

Abstract

This paper presents a framework for constructing regression metamodels for maintenance float systems (MFSs) with an Erlang-2 failure distribution. The metamodel is used in predicting the average equipment utilization (EU) of a maintenance float system for any given combination of repairpersons and standby units. It is shown that the regression metamodel from a 2^{5 – 1} factorial experiment yields close approximations to simulation results. The EU metamodel is further applied in a cost structure to determine the optimum number ofstandby units, and the number of repairpersons. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis on EU can be conducted with the metamodel presented in this paper.