Abstract. Full text available at https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/jmasm/vol13/iss1/24/
A multicomponent system of k components having strengths following k- independently
and identically distributed random variables x1, x2,…, xk and each component
experiencing a random stress Y is considered. The system is regarded as alive only if at
least s out of k (s < k) strengths exceed the stress. The reliability of such a system is
obtained when strength and stress variates are given by a generalized Rayleigh
distribution with different shape parameters. Reliability is estimated using the maximum
likelihood (ML) method of estimation in samples drawn from strength and stress
distributions; the reliability estimators are compared asymptotically. Monte-Carlo
simulation is used to compare reliability estimates for the small samples and real data sets
illustrate the procedure.