Inference methods for the Very Flexible Weibull distribution based on progressive type-II censoring

In this work, we present classical and Bayesian inferential methods based on samples in the presence of progressive type-II censoring under the Very Flexible Weibull (VFW) distribution. The considered distribution is relevant because it is an alternative to traditional non-flexible distributions and also to some flexible distributions already known in the literature, keeping the low amount of two parameters. In addition, studying it in a context of progressive censoring allows attesting to its applicability in data modeling from various areas of industry and technology that can use this censoring methodology. We obtain the maximum likelihood estimators of the model parameters, as well as their asymptotic variation measures. We propose the use of Markov chain Monte Carlo methods for the computation of Bayes estimates. A simulation study is carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed estimators under different sample sizes and progressive type-II censoring schemes. Finally, the methodology is illustrated through three real data sets.