Discrete State Degradation Models

Abstract

This chapter presents and discusses models where the system state, as it degrades, takes values in a discrete state space. Furthermore, it is assumed that the change of the system state through time may occur at discrete or continuous points in time according to certain rules. These models assume that the system moves through a sequence of increasing damage states until failure or intervention. Under these assumptions, most models presented in this chapter are based on Markov processes and in particular on Markov chains, which may be discrete or continuous in time.