Reliability Analysis with Dynamic Reliability Block Diagrams in the Möbius Modeling Tool

Abstract

Reliability block diagram (RBD) models are a commonly used reliability analysis method. For static RBD models, combinatorial solution techniques are easy and efficient. However, static RBDs are limited in their ability to express varying system state, dependent events, and non-series-parallel topologies. A recent extension to RBDs, called Dynamic Reliability Block Diagrams (DRBD), has eliminated those limitations. This tool paper details the RBD implementation in the Möbius modeling framework and provides technical details for using RBDs independently or in composition with other Möbius modeling formalisms. The paper explains how the graphical front-end provides a user-friendly interface for specifying RBD models. The back-end implementation that interfaces with the Möbius AFI to define and generate executable models that the Möbius tool uses to evaluate system metrics is also detailed.