PurposeThis paper aims to present a simulated annealing (SA) algorithm to search the optimal solution of reliability‐redundancy allocation problems (RRAP) with nonlinear resource constraints.Design/methodology/approachThe developed SA algorithm is coded in C++ and is applied to reliability design problems which include the series system (P1(a) and P1(b)), the series‐parallel system (P2), and the complex (bridge) system (P3). The numerical experiments are executed on an IBM‐PC compatible with a Pentium IV 2.0 GHz. The results are compared with those of previous studies.FindingsThe SA algorithm can find better solutions comparable to the previous studies in all problems except the problem P1(b). The difference on the order of 10−4 between the best and worst for all problems indicates good solution convergence of the SA algorithm. Note that the CPU times for these problems are within a few seconds by Pentium IV 2.0 GHz (P1(a) =2.78 sec, P1(b) =3.37 sec, P2=1.38 sec, and P3=1.40 sec).Originality/valueThe application of the SA is expanded to the RRAP, which can help reliability engineers design the system reliability.

No abstract

Simulative target generators are needed for testing and calibrating various radar systems. The generator in this study discriminates the transmitting frequency from a radar and simulates parameters like target range, range rate, and atmospheric attenuation using the digital RF memory technique. The simulative target echo is then sent to the radar for testing and evaluation. This paper proposes a novel architecture for controlling the digital RF memory so it continually writes ADC data to the memory and reads it for the DAC with increasing one step address in order to control the delay of target range in a simple way. The target echo is programmed according to various preprogrammed scenarios and is generated in real time using a wireless local area network (LAN). To analyze the detected and generated target information easily, the system times for the radar and simulative target generator are synchronized using a global positioning system (GPS).

No abstract