Howard W Penrose, Ph.D.
VP Electrical Reliability Programs
T-Solutions, Inc.
hpenrose@tsoln-inc.com
The Concept of RCM-Based Motor Management – Part 3
Step 4: Determine Functionally Significant Items of the System
There may be certain components of the selected system that require their own special focus of functional components and fault analysis. Adding this step allows for this analysis without having to split the system up even more.
Step 5: Perform a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis
In this step, you will identify the failure modes and effects on the system. For instance, if a failure mode is a seized bearing, then the effect will be that the shaft stops turning. In this stage, all of the failure modes and effects are identified. The final step is to determine which failure modes and effects are likely and move them to the next step.
Step 6: Logic Tree Review
This stage first poses a series of questions related to evident and hidden failures and sets a classification A – D related to the type of task that results. The types of tasks include:
Class A: Required maintenance for safety and environment
Class B: Mission/Production Related
Class C: Economically required
Class D: Required when hidden failures will generate an unsatisfactory condition when required.
At this point, this second level of screening assists in the logical selection of design changes, condition based maintenance, preventive maintenance or no maintenance performed.
Stage 7: Determine Servicing and Lubrication
This provides the practitioner the opportunity to determine what periodicity and types of lubricants are to be used. The periodicity is based either on service recommendations or over/under - greasing history.
Stage 8 – 10: Paperwork for Documenting Procedures and Tasks
As described.
Stage 11: Determine Tasks for Inactive Equipment
Procedures are developed for maintaining spares and other inactive equipment.
Stage 12: Develop Corrective Maintenance Processes and Specifications
Procedures are developed for performing corrective maintenance and specifications for vendor repairs are developed. Best practices are developed or organized.
Stage 13: All procedures, tasks, best practices and specifications are approved.
Stage 14: Backfit Process
This process involves the continuous improvement stage of the program. Periodically, a maintenance effectiveness review is performed using a logical process to ensure that the program is working.
Through all stages, it is very important to document the reasons for all decisions. This allows the effectiveness review or other auditing to understand the logic behind the decisions. If there is little or no documentation, significant time will be lost in future second-guessing.