Component importance for linear consecutive-k-Out-of-n and m-Consecutive-k-Out-of-n systems with exchangeable components

Measuring the relative importance of components in a mechanical system is useful for various purposes. In this article, we study Birnbaum and Barlow-Proschan importance measures for two frequently studied system designs: linear consecutive k -out-of- n and m -consecutive- k -out-of- n systems. We obtain explicit expressions for the component importance measures for systems consisting of exchangeable components. We illustrate the results for a system whose components have a Lomax type lifetime distribution. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2013