A Single Machine Scheduling Problem Considering Machine Availability Constraints

Abstract

The study described in this paper is derived from a real rotor production workshop where low reliability leads to poor quality of workpieces. A single machine scheduling problem considering machine availability constraints is addressed. The availability is defined by the machine reliability, which can be restored by preventive maintenance. Preventive maintenance with different improvement factors is defined in the mathematical model to minimize the total tardiness. A genetic algorithm is designed to solve the problem. Numerical results show that the proposed approach can effectively deal with the impact of machine availability constraints on production scheduling. Sensitivity analyses provide valuable managerial insights for real workshop scheduling.

Keywords

• single machine scheduling
• availability
• preventive maintenance
• total tardiness
• genetic algorithm