April 12, 2007
Training Tip
Tech Tip: Training Plan
Maintaining the Capabilities of Your Knowledge Workers
Are you aware of the capabilities of your people? Build a training plan to manage your training program. A training plan will help keep the maintenance department functioning properly by managing the knowledge gap. Normally it is Human Resources who implements corporate-wide training initiatives that relate to all personnel. The training plan is similar to a maintenance plan in that you are maintaining the knowledge and experience requirements for the maintenance department and its most valuable assets. A training plan will also help with budgeting and justification of the training needed to continue meeting the goals of the department.
Tip provided by Rob Apelgren, CMRP
SUCCESS by DESIGN
Ph: 800 392-9025 ext 202 (USA) or 860 577-8537 ext 202
http://www.motordiagnostics.com
Find out more about effective training from SUCCESS by DESIGN
April 12, 2007
Oil Analysis Booklet
Oil Analysis is a cornerstone of any successful predictive maintenance and machinery condition monitoring program.
Insight Services’ helps customers understand why oil analysis is vital to a successful reliability program. They get it. The more knowledge maintenance and reliability professionals have, the greater the value that can be returned from the PdM program.
Insight Services developed this book to help everyone understand oil analysis. This booklet is designed to help you establish an effective oil analysis program for increased reliability.
April 12, 2007
Root Cause Failure Analysis Tip
How do you assure the “Crime Scene” is preserved for Root Cause Failures Analysis?
Much has been written about the magnitude of Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) and the importance of preserving the evidence at the beginning of the investigation. Many have compared preserving the evidence as the same as preserving “the Crime Scene”. For the police, preserving the Crime Scene begins when the call comes in and officers are quickly dispatched to string the yellow tape. But how do you confirm that the Crime Scene is preserved at your plant?
It begins by ensuring that your RCFA Program has clearly defined entry points, set criteria for which a RCFA must be initiated. Typical criterion includes: Production Impact, Maintenance Impact, Injury or Death, and Repeat Failures. Once the entry criteria are established, the next important step is to communicate those criteria to the plant population. The criteria can be published in newsletters and other plant publications in order to reach the greatest audience. In addition, the criterion should be posted around the plant site so when entry conditions are exceeded, there is an understanding and clear instructions on how to proceed and who to call.
The last step in order to ensure that the Crime Scene is preserved is to establish a “Crime Scene kit”. The kit should contain yellow tape (yes, yellow tape) to cord off the area, a digital camera, a form for identifying witnesses, interview forms, and a form for identifying plant conditions. Pens/pencils, markers, plastic bags of various sizes should also be included within the kit.
Once the plant personnel know who to call when the entry conditions are met, you are prepared to respond to preserve the evidence, thus your RCFA investigations will be more secure and easier to complete.
Tip provided by Ken Bass, CMRP
Management Resources Group, Inc.
For more information about RCFA and Reliability Strategy Development visit MRG’s website
April 12, 2007
Maintenance Tip – Failure Modes
A note on the analysis of a failed Babbitt bearing on a multiple unit solid coupled DC Motor Generator set with non circulated pedestal oil sumps.
When a Babbitt bearing failure occurs on a large MG set with as many as 8 bearing pedestals the vibration spectrum can range from a single predominant peak at the operational speed to many multiples of 1x. It is very common to find that the point of highest amplitude is not always the location of the failed bearing. A very intense search ensues for the failed component only to find that the first two or three pedestals that are inspected are not the location of the failure. To locate the bad bearing you need only shine a flash light through each of the sight glasses until the dark “sparkly” oil is observed. When this pedestal is disassembled it will undoubtedly be the primary source of the problem you seek.
The reason for this is that the dynamic forces on the shaft have already worn away at the babbitt bearing until the internal clearances have “opened up” to the point where hydrodynamic lubrication is no longer occurring. In essence, the bearing lost its oil wedge and the shaft is being supported by the other bearings in the train. With no oil wedge it is impossible for the rotor dynamics to impart vibration through the babbitt bearing to the bearing housing where the measurement is being taken. So it only appears that this isn’t the bearing with the problem.
Lessons Learned: In some cases we need to step back from the technology and look at the failure mode as a progression of events that change over time.
Tip provided by Jerry Rose
Lead Analyst
Allied Reliability
http://www.alliedreliability.com
http://www.alliedreliability.com
Request your free copy of “Why RCM Doesn’t Work” from Allied Reliability
April 05, 2007
Motor Testing Tip
The Importance of Motor Identification Labeling
Does your facility assign and attach a permanent ID number to the motors used in your facility?
If not, you should consider starting this practice so you can track your motor assets cradle to grave. In many facilities, a motor will be used in several different applications during its lifetime.
For example, a new motor arrives at your warehouse where a permanent identification number is attached; a quick incoming motor test is done to set a motor health baseline and then is put into the storeroom. Later it is used to replace a failed motor that is driving a condensate return pump. The motor is added to a route for periodic motor testing.
Over time, the bearings get over-greased and the subsequent contamination is seen via the change in circuit impedance causing the electrician to recommend a clean, dip, and bake of the motor. The motor is pulled, sent out for service, and returned to the warehouse. Upon return from the motor shop, it is again tested to ensure the work was performed properly and placed back into the storeroom. A month later, it is pulled and is used to drive a scrubber circulation fan.
By having a permanent identification number attached to the motor and using that number to identify the asset in the Motor Diagnostic Software, the electrician will be able to keep the entire previous motor test results collected for that motor, regardless of what application it is being used in. If the motor ever ends up requiring a rewind, new baseline data can be collected and compared to the pre-rewind data to again ensure that proper repairs were done and that the motor returned from the motor shop will perform to its nameplate expectations. This new test data is used to set a new baseline that all subsequent tests will be compared to.
The net result of this process is you will have complete historical test data for this motor that will be valuable for diagnosis of motor system faults that may occur in the future, regardless of what motor system it is installed in.
Tip provided by BJM, ALL TEST Pro
800 952-8776 or 860 395-2988
http://www.alltestpro.com
April 05, 2007
MARCON-2007 by the University of Tennessee
May 8-11, 2007
Knoxville Marriott
Knoxville Tennessee
3 Pre-Conference Workshops:
* Reliability Engineering Principles by Paul Barringer, Barringer & Associates, Inc.
* Human Error Reduction – Robert Latino, Reliability Center, Inc.
* Creating Value through Maintenance and Reliability: Proven Methods to Deliver Bottom Line Results by Paul Casto, Eastman Chemical and Dr. Rupy Sawhney, UT College of Engineering
34 Reliability Improvement case studies from organizations like Northrop Grumman, Sandia National Laboratory, Alcoa, Duke Energy, Michelin, Eastman Chemical, US Army, The National Gas Co. of Trinidad and Tobago and Agrium.
MARCON-2007 offers extraordinary learning and professional networking in a relaxed setting in downtown Knoxville.
To register please call 865-974-9625 or…
April 05, 2007
Even More Feedback From Recent Filter Tips
We have a hydraulic power unit that has 4 “kidney” cooling/filtration loops.
The filters specified are 3 micron, with a 25 psig bypass in the filter head. A pressure switch gives a dirty filter reading and warning at 20 psig. At some point, a vendor substituted an apparently equivalent filter element from a different manufacturer.
After the substitution, we began getting dirty filter warnings on a frequent basis. Investigation showed the differential pressure across the substitute filter was much higher then the original - the pressure drop on a NEW substitute filter was 15 psid - meaning even cold oil had the potential to cause the dirty filter alarm.
Reverting to the original filter solved the problem. The lesson to learn is that, despite claims, not all equivalent filters are truly equivalent.
Ed Allen
Assistant Manager
6 Flags
April 05, 2007
RELIABILITY Magazine 12th Year
It’s A Celebration!
In appreciation of the outstanding efforts of the Reliability community and their support for RELIABILITY Magazine over the past 12 years - YOU are invited to subscribe for one year at a special rate of just $25. That is a 75% savings!
April 05, 2007
Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Tip
Avoiding a disconnected RCA analysis tip:
When conducting Root Cause Analysis (RCA) investigators can get caught up in the apparent causes of the failure.
This can come in the form of interviews that contain repeating comments about the reason something failed that make logical sense.
When you hear these kinds of comments realize it may be conventional wisdom you are hearing. You must treat the interview as information that may provide some insight to possible hypotheses for your analysis. Hypotheses have to be verified as to whether or not they occurred. If you base your entire analysis on conventional wisdom you are in the box before you even begin your analysis.
This can lead to a incomplete analysis because other possibilities are not considered.
Tip provided by Mark Latino
Reliability Center Inc.
http://www.reliability.com
April 05, 2007
Alignment Tip
What non-repeatability may be telling you.
Regardless of what type of alignment system or method you use, corrections should never be attempted if the readings don’t repeat within an allowable tolerance. Here are some things to check for when this happens;
a) Make sure all components and bracketing are secure to the shaft, that nothing is rubbing, and that all equipment hold-down bolts are tight.
b) If possible, increase the measuring average of the laser to compensate for ambient vibration. Dial indicator users cannot compensate for this effect.
c) Tooling used to turn large machinery may be deflecting the shaft and influencing readings; use the Multipoint method of taking readings if your laser system offers this.
d) Wait for recently run machines to cool off to ambient temperature and all thermal gradients within the machines to stabilize before taking readings.
e) After eliminating all of the above, you may very well still have machinery issues such as bad or excessively worn bearings.
Tip provided by LUDECA, INC.
ALIGNMENT * VIBRATION * BALANCING
http://www.ludeca.com
Tel: 305-591-8935
