Abstract
The consecutive k-out-of-r-from-n: F system was generalized to multi-state case. This system consists of n linearly ordered components which are at state below j if and only if at least k(j) components out of any r consecutive are in state below j. In this paper we suggest bounds of increasing multi-state consecutive-k-out-of-r-from-n: F system (k1 <= k(2) <= ... <= km) by applying second order Boole-Bonferroni bounds and applying Hunter-Worsley upper bound. Also numerical results are given. The programs in V.B.6 of the algorithms are available upon request from the authors. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.