A Practical Method of Maintainability Allocation

A practical method of allocating the system maintainability (M) requirement to lower functional equipment levels is described. The use of this method minimizes trial and error in establishing values for each equipment item and the amount of tradeoffs required in apportionment relative to equipment complexity and M design characteristics. It has flexibility in application in that it can provide initial allocations at the conceptual design stage and updated allocations at various stages of design when more is known about a given system. The method will prove practical if the system requirement is practical and if the basic k factor tables are reasonably correct. If the system requirement is unrealistic, no method of allocation could make it realistic.