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You are receiving this newsletter and email because at some point in time you opted to be included in our Monthly Reliability Newsletter mailing list from our site.
Our newsletter will be sent out ones a month and provide you with quality issues and resources on our most common link which is all about reliability and maintenance, as well as regular updates about our site. I would like to personally invite you to regularly visit our website and check out updates on our articles and training courses. |
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Issue No. 27 - July 2009 |
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Since establishing this website last May of 2007, I have made many efforts to improve this site and provide some useful insights about our common link which is all about improving our equipment reliability and the way we do maintenance.
Finally should you be interested to contribute to our articles section or share any feedback, I encourage you to email me Click here to email me. If for any reason you wish to unsubscribe from our newsletter, kindly send my a blank email with unsubscribe as the heading and we shall remove you from our mailing lists. Once again welcome to our July 2009 edition of our Monthly Reliability Newsletter for this year 2009 and I hope that you enjoy reading and sharing with your people.
My Warm Regards,
Website : www.rsareliaiblity.com Inspired by Change . . . |
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By Rolly Angeles
This edition of our newsletter is a series of two parts which covers the approach on the Classical RCM by answering the 7 Basic Questions and in the process ask us should there be an eight question on the RCM process. The first part will explain the seven basic question in which I think some of you might already know and the second part of this newsletter will explain the need to have an eight question.
CLASSICAL RCM SEVEN BASIC QUESTIONS :
To begin with first let us define what Reliability-Centred Maintenance is all about. RCM is a process used to determine the maintenance requirements of any physical asset in its present operating context. It is also a process used to determine what must be done to ensure that any physical asset continues to do whatever its users wants it to do in its present operating context. In its simplest definition, RCM is a process used to improve the reliability of an equipment, asset, sub-system or process by improving the way we perform maintenance. The Classical RCM Approach conforms to SAE JA1011 by answering the 7 basic questions which are as follows :
1. What are the functions and associated performance standards of the asset in its present operating context ? 2. In what ways does it fail to fulfill its functions ? 3. What causes each functional failures ? 4. What happens when each functional failure occurs ? 5. In what ways does each failure matter ? 6. What can be done to predict or prevent each failure from occurring ? 7. What should be done if a suitable proactive task cannot be found ?
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Finally, I am more than happy to announce the debut of my book on World Class Maintenance. This is not only a book about the technical jargon of reliability and maintenance, it is a book that makes every single maintenance feel proud that they belong to the maintenance function. If you have been living through the day to day pressures of doing maintenance then this is your story.
Currently this book is available only through my website and is on a Print on Demand Basis. If you are interested to have a copy of this book, kindly send me an email and we shall provide you with the details. For more info about this book, you may visit this link: http://www.rsareliability.com/wcmbook.htm
Foreword message of this book is written by my good friend C. Robert Nelms or Bob as we call him. Bob is the founder and President of Failsafe Network. I’m glad to say that he is also one of the subscribers on this newsletter. You can click on this short video I prepared to know more about him.
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Some say that changing culture should start from the top; others say it’s a bottom-up approach. There is no easy and conclusive answer to this but all I can say is that change is something that must start from within us. I think nobody says it better than the late “King of Pop”, Michael Jackson himself, that change must come from the man in the mirror.
I'm starting with the man in the mirror, I'm asking him to change his ways. And no message could have been any clearer, if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make that change, Michael Jackson
Extract from WCM Book page 47
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RELIABILITY & MAINTENANCE CONSULTANCY FIRM
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Where the learning just never stops . . .
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RSA
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RCM Question 1: What are the functions and associated performance standards of the asset in its present operation context ? The first question on RCM asks us to define the functions of the asset being analyzed so that we can have a better grasps and understanding on what functions of the equipment or asset is being used and needs to be maintained. One thing to take special care on defining the functions of the asset is to clearly distinguish a function from a feature. A function summarizes why the asset was acquired in the first place. A feature are nice to have attraction on the asset. If let us say we want to define one of the main function of a car, it is to allow us to go from one point to another. But there are other features a car can have like having a hi-fi sensurround radio with a built in DVD component. Although there are cases that one feature can be considered a function to another and a confusion on whether to state it as a function or a feature. Example, I asked one colleague of mine what is the most important function of his car and he told me that it was his radio, when I asked why. He told me that he is on night shift and the radio keeps him awake during driving. Hence in this case, the feature now becomes a function. It means that his radio should be available whenever he is using his car. Functions can also be classified as Primary Function which is the main reason why the asset was acquired in the first place and Secondary Functions where an asset is required to fulfill other functions rather than the primary function itself. Also note that there will cases where the failure of the secondary function poses more threat to the organization rather than the failure of the primary function. Hence, the first step in any RCM Analysis is to derive the functions of the asset in its present operating context or in the conditions that it is being operated.
RCM Question 2: In what ways does it fulfill its functions ? The second question on RCM asks us when do we consider that the asset have actually failed. It is not only important to define what is meant by fail but for everyone involved in the asset such as operations, maintenance, safety, quality, 3rd party contractors to be in agreement as to when to declare the asset failed in the first place. A safety officer from a safety standpoint may declare the equipment fail if he can spot continuous leak in the equipment and to have it fixed for safety reasons. A maintenance point of view of failure is that if a certain part or spare had wear out rapidly such as the seal, then this is when he will declare it fail. But perhaps from an operations standpoint, as long as the equipment is running and is capable of producing what they want then the equipment is not in a failed state and is fine with them. Hence they will declare a “No Failure Situation”. Perhaps the only time that they will declare it fail is when the equipment stops because it ran out of lubrication. In this case, we have three different people who have three versions of failure. The problem is if these people are in disagreement as to when to declare the asset failed. Hence if they are in disagreement then what the heck are we trying to avoid in the first place.
RCM Question 3: What causes each functional failure ? The third RCM question deals about the probabilities that cause the failure in the first place. When we speak about the causes of each functional failure, we are asking the hypothesis or most likely the failure modes. Failure modes should be defined in enough detail for it to be possible to select a suitable failure management policy. It is likewise important to list every single failure mode that is likely to affect the asset. For example when a pump discontinues to discharge, one possibility is that the valve was closed, another possibility is the motor burned out, still another possibility is that the bearing seizes or the filter screen is blocked by contaminants, the impeller shaft is broken or the shaft keyway disengage with the impeller causing the pump not to discharge any fluid at all. What we need to do is to list down all the possible failure modes or probable causes of failure at this point. When we are speaking about failure modes we are referring to all the probability of failures and not the Root Cause of the failure itself.
RCM Question 4: What happens when each functional failure occurs? This question asks us that in the event this failure happens, what will be the effect of each of these failure modes. In short in this question we ask about the failure effect. Will some alarm sound as a result of this, or stop production? What is the estimated time the machine will be down? Usually, how long will the maintenance be working on the equipment or are spares needed to place the equipment back in operation. Are they readily available to the maintenance crew ?. Knowing the effects of this failure mode will make us understand what will take place after the failure had occurred on its own and how maintenance is going to respond to this situation. Failure effects usually is written in paragraph form and should be written in enough detail so that maintenance can have a better grasp and understanding on what to do in the event the failure takes its toll.
RCM Question 5: In what ways does each failure matter? Every failure has its own unique consequences, this question asks us that in the event of a failure, what will be the consequences of the failure itself. Will the failure be hidden or evident ? Will it affect the environment? Does it have safety consequences? Will the failure affect the operations or it will not matter at all since the equipment is equipped with a back-up or stand-by unit? RCM simply tells us that if the consequence of failure is not acceptable, then maintenance should exhaust all efforts in order to reduce or eliminate the risks of failure and when the failure has little or minimal consequences, then RCM allows failure to occur on its own. RCM tells us that it is more important to focus on understanding the consequences of failure rather than completely eliminating the failure itself. Understanding the consequence of failure is very critical to the RCM process as this will not only spell the difference on having a sound maintenance tasks but to understand which failure modes are not acceptable to us. In Dec. 1984, the tank eventually leaked in Bhopal India which contains methyl isocynate gas. 40 tones of highly poisonous methyl isocyanate gas leaked out of the pesticide factory in Union Carbide plant in Bhopal. Gas escaped from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal. More than 6,400 died (many from the effects several years after the disaster) and 30,000-40,000 were seriously injured in the world's worst chemical disaster. Over 500,000 men, women and children were exposed to the poison clouds and at least six thousand people died within the first week of the disaster. The current death toll is still rising over 16,000. Pregnant women were miscarried and babies were stillborn. The poison affected some people's lungs and nervous system. The consequences of this single failure create havoc in the lives of people in Bhopal.
RCM Question 6: What can be done to predict or prevent each failure? The sixth question asks us if the activities performed by Preventive or Predictive maintenance can address the failure mode when it occurs on its own. If the failure mode occurs on a wear out pattern, then this can be anticipated using Preventive Maintenance replacements and overhauls while if the failure mode provides some signs or symptoms that it is on the verge of failing, then these failures can be captured using Predictive Maintenance instruments. For example, an infra-red thermography can provide its users that an increase in heat or temperature in one of their motors they are monitoring can signal them that the motor has already reached its potential failure stage, so maintenance is being alerted that something must be done and maintenance must intervene to avoid further damage.
RCM Question 7: What should be done if a suitable proactive task cannot be found? This is the last question in the RCM process which states that if both Predictive Maintenance and Preventive Maintenance will be unlikely to address the problem then what options in the maintenance tasks are left for the maintenance to address the failure mode itself. The remaining maintenance tasks left according to RCM will be failure finding tasks or functionality inspection for protective and standby equipment, a run to fail situation or allowing the part to fail as long as the only consequences of failure will be just the direct costs of repair and the last option we have is to redesign and modify which means that if doing maintenance cannot help solve the problem then maintenance final option will be to modify or redesign the system. There will be cases that maintenance cannot help solve the problem and if this is the case then maintenance needs to walk the thin line and opt for a redesign or modification in order to eliminate or reduce the consequences of failure itself. Redesign and modification are applicable if the consequences of failure would simply be not acceptable at all in the plant.
These seven basic questions completes the Classical RCM process. The first four questions comprise the first part of the RCM process that is usually written in the RCM Information Worksheet. While the remaining three questions refers to the RCM Decision Worksheet which is being performed with the aid of an Algorithm or Decision Diagram. SAE JA1011 "Evaluation Criteria for Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) Processes referencing Message Specification" These questions also tends to distinguish the Classical RCM from Streamlined RCM Versions. But to carry out a comprehensive RCM approach, I believe that there should be an eight question and this questions would spell out the difference. In fact if there will be not be an eight question will then the first seven questions will be deemed useless. Our next Newsletter will answer what is the eight question in the RCM process that needs to be answered as well.
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RELIABILITY NEWSLETTER |
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Inspired by change |
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• Gallery: New pictures for 2011 added from the gallery portion. • Newsletter: Aug. 2011 Edition finally released to our subscribers. Email me if you want to subscribe to our Newsletter. • 2012 Training Schedule: If you are interested to attend in any of our public workshop and master class for 2012. Send us an email or register online. • WCM Book: If you’re interested in buying the book on World Class Maintenance, The 12 Disciplines. Send me an email to reserve. WCM Book is now available. Get your copy now. • In-house Training :Should your industry be interested for in-house trainings we are now accepting regular schedules for in-house training for both local and international countries on courses that we currently offered. Contact us |
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World Class Maintenance Management - The Twelve Disciplines Book is now available here. This is not only about the technical jargon on reliability and maintenance, it is a book that makes every single maintenance proud that they belong to the maintenance function. If you have been living through the day to day pressures of doing maintenance then this is your story. If you are interested in this book, send me an email. Click Here ! |
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Select the courses of your choice and it can be made available in CD . Click Here ! |
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We are very much flattered and humbled by your feedback and testimonies. Your messages are the main reason for allowing us to stay in this business. With all humility we say thank you and rest assure that we are continuously improving. Without your support in our training there won’t be us. Read More ! |
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• If your industry is interested to join and participate in any of our upcoming public training and workshop for this year 2012 you may send us an email or simply fill out the registration form provided on our schedule site. You may Click here to visit our schedule training for 2012 Schedule. |
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Our Reliability Newsletter will be provided once a month to our valued subscribers. It provides highlights as well as issues and lessons regarding our most common link which is all about improving the reliability of equipment. |
