Load sharing improves availability — but it can also accelerate asset degradation. Traditional RAM models often ignore the effects of higher operating stress when units share load, leading to optimistic life estimates and distorted LCCA results. This article outlines the hidden cost of load sharing, demonstrates why production-aware, stress-dependent reliability modelling is required, and shows how it alters maintenance and capital decisions.

Most RAM studies treat reliability as a function of time—but in real operations, it is driven by stress. When production varies, failure behavior changes, and MTBF can become misleading. This article introduces a stress-aware RAM approach, linking reliability to operating conditions through life-stress relationships and cumulative damage. If production strategy influences degradation, shouldn’t our models reflect it?