Integrating Survival-Based Aging Models with Data-Driven RUL Prognostics
Abhishek Srinivasan, Juan Carlos Andresen, Sepideh Pashami, Anders Holst
Abstract
Predictive maintenance requires reliable remaining useful life (RUL) estimation. Existing methods mainly follow two paradigms: wear-based aging models that capture cumulative degradation and sensor-driven data models that reflect instantaneous health conditions, each providing only partial information. In this work, we propose a probabilistic fusion framework that integrates wear-based and sensor-based prognostic components through failure probability distributions. Based on explicit structural assumptions linking wear, latent health, sensor observations, and failure, we derive a principled combination rule that enables uncertainty-aware integration with adaptive weighting of the components. Experimentally, we assess this combination rule by learning the wear-based component using a parametric survival model and the sensor-based component using a 1D convolutional neural network (1D-CNN) with a post-hoc uncertainty model. Evaluation on multiple N-CMAPSS datasets demonstrates that the fused model improves point accuracy, preserves the C-index, and produces narrower yet well-calibrated prediction intervals compared to either component alone. The results highlight the complementary roles of wear-based survival model and sensor-based deep learning model, and show that their probabilistic integration provides a structured pathway toward more robust and consistent prognostics over the life-time.