Availability-based engineering resilience metric and its corresponding evaluation methodology

Abstract

Several resilience metrics have been proposed for engineering systems (e.g., mechanical engineering, civil engineering, critical infrastructure, etc.); however, they are different from one another. Their difference is determined by the performances of the objects of evaluation. This study proposes a new availability-based engineering resilience metric from the perspective of reliability engineering. Resilience is considered an intrinsic ability and an inherent attribute of an engineering system. Engineering system structure and maintenance resources are principal factors that affect resilience, which are integrated into the engineering resilience metric. A corresponding dynamic-Bayesian-network-based evaluation methodology is developed on the basis of the proposed resilience metric. The resilience value of an engineering system can be predicted using the proposed methodology, which provides an implementation guidance for engineering planning, design, operation, construction, and management. Some examples for common systems (i.e., series, parallel, and voting systems) and an actual application example (i.e., a nine-bus power grid system) are used to demonstrate the application of the proposed resilience metric and its corresponding evaluation methodology.