November 16, 2006
Less than 50 seats remain for IMC-2006 - Please Register today
Like good maintenance is planned - good conferences are planned.
IMC-2006 limits attendance in order to provide the best quality learning experience possible. We are within 50 seats of the limit and we expect the International Maintenance Conference to sell out any day which will close registration.
Visit IMC-2006 online to register or download a conference brochure or call toll free (888) 575 1245 to reserve you space today.
November 16, 2006
Balancing & Vibration Tip
There are a number of different causes of vibration in rotating equipment. Each cause emits a different set of symptoms. Misalignment between a drive motor and shaft typically results in a dominant 2X harmonic component of vibration. Structural resonances can occur at 1X operating speed or at a harmonic frequency (2X, 3X, etc.) and the effect may vary depending on speed. Looseness in any mechanical connection between bearing caps, bearing pedestals, or foundations can cause excessive vibration levels or amplify a pre-existing unbalance problem. In most cases, a mechanically loose connection will yield harmonic levels of vibration (2X, 3X, etc.) and may also yield sub-harmonic levels of vibration (X/2, X/3, etc.). The common symptoms of a crack propagating in a fan are both an emergence and growth of a 2X component of vibration along with a change in the phase and amplitude of the 1X vibration component. Rotor mass unbalance is the most common cause of excessive vibration in most rotating equipment with a primary symptom being a high 1X vibration level.
Tip provided by:
LORD Corporation
http://www.lord.com
Tel: 1-877-ASK-LORD
November 16, 2006
Preventive Maintenance (PM) Tip
Economic analysis in PM
As I’ve written before I’m deeply involved in thinking about PM and PdM. This is the lead of my chapter on economic analysis. In it I describe the process of analyzing each level.
Economics of PM has three levels of view. The highest level might be called macro economic analysis. In this kind of view the firm decides if PM approaches make sense at all given the organization’s goals and the needs and requirements of the business or field.
To make that decision an organization would look at the current costs of operation. They would project the costs of the operation with the proposed changes. Since any change costs money the analyst would see how many months or years the savings (assuming there is one) would take to pay off the investment.
If speed of pay-off (which is 1 over the Return on Investment –ROI) were adequate then the decision would be made to change from the status quo to the new approach. Once that decision is made the second level looks more and more closely at groups of machines or processes.
For want of a better term I use semi-micro view for the second level. This semi-micro view decides what strategy is most appropriate for a particular machine or group of machines. Even if a decision has been made at the corporate or plant level to use PM/PdM as the dominant strategy, each machine or machine group has factors that influence how to handle it specifically.
Usually the most important factor is the cost of having the unit out of service. A low or negligible downtime cost can scuttle a PM decision for that asset (substitute machine, truck or even building for asset). As before the cost of your current operation for that asset or asset group is compared to the cost of running in the new mode. Given the investment level to bring the asset to PM standards, is there enough Return on Investment (ROI) to make it justifiable?
Once a decision is made about strategy for an asset or an asset group the third level is what PM tasks do we perform?
In the task view or micro view, the cost and consequence of each task is compared to the cost and consequence of the failure mode the task is trying to avoid. It is critical to choose the fewest tasks, the least often that will achieve your goals.
Does this clarify anything for you? I’d like to hear from you if it does or doesn’t!
This is taken from the book The Complete Guide of Preventive and Predictive Maintenance by Joel Levitt, Published by Industrial Press.
November 09, 2006
The ultimate maintenance game: Value Driven Maintenance® Business Simulation
Available only at IMC-2006
“What is the actual added value of maintenance?”
That is a frequently heard question in boardrooms the world over. Even though maintenance is often critically important, few maintenance managers are able to answer the question convincingly. Especially when they are asked to express the benefits in terms of economic value added or shareholder value - the language being spoken in boardrooms.
For this reason Mainnovation developed the Value Driven Maintenance (VDM) methodology, which is implemented in leading maintenance organizations like DSM, Smurfit Kappa, Sara Lee, GlaxoSmithKline, Akzo Nobel and Volvo Cars.
VDM builds a bridge between traditional maintenance philosophies and managing by shareholder value. Not only does VDM simplify the boardroom discussion, it also shows that far from being a cost center, maintenance is actually a major economic value within the overall business performance.
Sign up now for the only US Value Driven Maintenance® Business Simulation at IMC-2006 by calling toll free (888) 575 1245 or…
Learn more about the Value Driven Maintenance® Business Simulation online
November 09, 2006
Electrical Testing Tip
Checking Contacts and Connections with a Voltmeter
Some of our common tools can be used in such a way to detect problems, or as condition-based testing, if more advanced tools are not available. Of course, newer technologies are faster, safer and provide a greater accuracy. So, as we discuss this tip, the user must consider all company, regulatory and instrument applicable safety requirements.
Infrared imaging is an outstanding tool for detecting loose electrical connections. However, if the technology is not available, a voltage drop test can be used to identify power connections and contact problems. The test is performed by placing the leads of the voltmeter across the input and output of the component being considered (starting with the highest setting and working down), in the same phase. For instance, if testing a three phase contactor for bad contacts, one lead of the voltmeter would be placed on the line side of phase A and the other lead on the load side of phase A of the contactor. The value is noted and the test is repeated for phases B and C. If the value is greater than 1 Volt, then the contact or contactor must be repaired.
Note: It is good practice to always verify the operation of a voltmeter before and after each test. This is done by testing a known source, such as a working outlet, performing the test, then testing against the known source.
Tip provided by Howard W Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP
President, SUCCESS by DESIGN Reliability Services
http://www.motordoc.net
Learn about the Institute of Electrical Motor Diagnostics (IEMD)
November 09, 2006
STLE/CMI OMA 101 Course and Certification*
OIL MONITORING ANALYST 2006 Training Dates and Locations
* OMA I, II CLS & CMFS, English
Montreal, QC-Canada (in French)
Nov. 8-9
Nov. 10: Exams
Miami, FL
Dec. 5-6
Dec. 7: Exams
Red Deer, AB-Canada
Dec. 12-13
Dec. 14: Exams
To learn more please call CMI at (678) 942-3582 or…
Learn more about OIL MONITORING ANALYST Training
November 09, 2006
Maintenance Tip
Rust a form of corrosion develops when iron, water and oxygen are present. When water comes in contact with iron, the water combines with carbon dioxide to form an acid. The acid dissolves the iron. During the dissolving process, a portion of the water breaks down into hydrogen and oxygen. The oxygen and dissolved iron bond into iron oxide, better know as rust. This bonding of oxygen and dissolved iron frees electrons from the iron (acting as an anode) which travel to the cathode. This movement of electrons corrodes the iron material.
Assembly fasteners and components on stationary and mobile equipment which are continually exposed to nature’s elements (water, dirt, and temperature variation) can be difficult to disassemble due to corrosive affects of these elements.
Heavily rusted fasteners can break-off or be damaged beyond use during disassembly. Additional maintenance time and costs are required to extract fractured fasteners and repair damaged components.
When planning to disassemble equipment, the equipment should be inspected prior to disassembly to determine the condition of the fasteners and components.
If the fasteners and components are heavily rusted, then it is suggested that a quality penetrating oil be applied to these items. The penetrating oil should be applied 12 to 24 hours prior to disassembly and may require more than one application.
This will allow the penetrating oil to work at loosing the joined parts and greatly reduce the chances of damaging or destroying these items while reducing unplanned work.
Tip provided by Andy FitzGerald
Allied Reliability, Inc.
November 09, 2006
The Dirty Dozen: 12 Ways to Wreck Your Maintenance Program
Pretend You Are on the Team (2 of 12)
Pretending to be a supporter of good maintenance practices is an excellent way to wreck your maintenance organization. If you can master the art of appearing to be an honest team member while tearing down the program behind the scenes, you can stealthily avoid confrontation.
Some handy examples to get you started:
• A maintenance manager says he supports planned and scheduled work, but fails to defend the process. Instead, he happily supports breaking the schedule and doing unplanned work so he can gain points with the operations managers, who do not understand proactive methods.
• A maintenance technician is fully trained to use modern laser alignment equipment, but when no one is looking, he aligns a coupling by eye to save time.
• A maintenance supervisor supports proactive strategies in the Maintenance Improvement meetings, but afterwards criticizes the program to his crew, telling them that it will go away if they just ignore it.
Seek out the other Pretenders in your organization, as you will find strength in numbers. If you can assemble a strong core group of Pretenders, it is possible to engineer the dazzling derailment of all efforts to increase reliability.
Tune in next week as we continue to expose the secret lives of seriously disturbed maintenance “professionals” with The Dirty Dozen Tip #3: Keep Maintenance Successes a Secret.
Tip provided by NoBreakDowns.com
Tel: (218) 327-3114
Receive a complimentary Dirty Dozen: 12 Ways to Wreck Your Maintenance Program electronic poster
November 09, 2006
Got Varnish?
The lubricating oil in gas turbines and hydraulic systems is increasingly subject to the ravages of varnish.
The debilitating effects of varnish are well documented. The complexities associated with detecting varnish potential render routine oil analysis ineffective in reporting varnish. However, there are a number of technologies, although seldom used, which have been successful in reporting incipient varnish potential. Insight Services has developed a Varnishing Potential Analysis that incorporates these technologies into one simple report to offer an integrated varnish potential solution.
Find your way back to a healthy lube oil system with a Varnishing Potential Analysis from Insight Services.
How well do you understand varnish?
November 09, 2006
Vibration Monitoring Tip
Proper Application of an Adhesive Mounting Pad
The accuracy of an accelerometer’s frequency response will be directly affected by the quality of the installation of the sensor on the targeted machinery. Any hardware which is used between the sensor and the targeted machinery can add mass to the sensor, affect surface area contact with the machinery and add looseness between the sensor and the machinery. All of these factors can adversely affect the frequency response of the sensor and can affect the data which analysts will base some very important decisions on. For this reason it is imperative that proper installation techniques are used for common mounting hardware such as Adhesive Mounting Pads (commonly referred to as Epoxy Pads.)
When applying Epoxy Pads to monitor vibration, remember to:
– Follow all safety rules and wear personal safety protection as required.
– Select a spot which is closest to the site of the vibration you are seeking to monitor.
– For best results, use a right angle drill with an end-mill bit (“spot facing tool”) to mill a flat surface the same diameter as the pad you will be affixing to the machinery surface.
– Using both hands, apply steady, even pressure to the back of the drill behind the milling bit.
– Unlike with the stud mounting preparation, the pilot drill bit in the center of the end-mill should only be set slightly below the mill – just enough to catch the surface and prevent the mill from “skating” sideways.
– After you have milled your flat surface, put on rubber (surgical) gloves. This will keep any grease from your hands from effecting the mounting surface of the machinery or the pad. Using a grease-cutting, residue-free cleaner, clean the surfaces of both the machinery and mounting pad. Windex works well for this since it is also compatible with many shop-floor material restrictions (this may vary depending on your location.)
– Use a thin film adhesive such as Loctite 330. Make sure that the adhesive is compatible with environmental factors (chemicals, moisture, heat).
– Hold in place for 30 seconds, and tape in place for 15 minutes while adhesive cures.
– Touch up with paint to prevent corrosion.
– Mount sensor on pad with 2 to 5 foot pounds (refer to sensor data sheet).
For additional information on mounting techniques and why some mounting methods are preferred over others in certain applications, refer to the iPresentation tutorial link below …
Tip provided by CTC
Tel: 585-924-5900 x 809
http://www.ctconline.com
iPresentation Tutorial invitation: Basics of Accelerometer Mounting & Installation
