May 10, 2007
Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Tip
Avoiding a disconnected Root Cause Analysis:
When conducting Root Cause Analysis investigators should always be at the failure scene at the time the equipment is opened. The benefit to the investigation is enormous because when equipment is disassembled the evidence is removed and many times discarded quickly in an effort to get back to production.
The advantage to the investigator is from a positional view of the failed area. When you are there the investigative process of mapping the failure scene can be accomplished accurately using video, digital pictures, and drawings.
This becomes valuable later when the RCA team meets to discuss the possible failure scenarios based on the failure scene. If you have to rely on third party information it is likely skewed from the original scene. This can slow your RCA down because now you have to put the initial first viewing together based on people’s memories before you can continue your analysis.
If what you are told is incorrect then your RCA is started using non-factual information and could end with non-factual conclusions.
Tip provided by Mark Latino
Reliability Center Inc.
http://www.reliability.com
Find Out More About PROACT Root Cause Analysis Leadership Certification Programs
May 10, 2007
Vibration Analysis Tip
Understanding the Time Waveform
Demodulation
Many users of vibration analysis instruments do not get the full value of their investment. Why? Because they rely mostly on only analyzing vibration spectra. What is the problem with this? The fact is that the basic signal being measured is a time waveform. From there, the instruments create vibration spectra that can be analyzed.
The reason the time waveform has fallen into obscurity is that until now most data collectors did not have enough speed or memory to save significant amounts of time waveforms. The most modern data collectors now offer up to 1 Gig of memory, allowing the collection and analysis of “long time waveforms”. Waveforms offer insight into the source/causes of vibrations.
Tip provided by Ron Sullivan
Commtest
Makers of the new VB7
http://www.commtest.com
Request your FREE e-Book: Beginner’s Guide to Machine Vibration by Commtest
May 03, 2007
SMRP Executive Summit
Let the Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP) help you tell the Business of Reliability Story to your Executive Management and obtain their sponsorship for your reliability initiatives.
SMRP is pleased to make this exclusive offer to invite your company’s top executives to the SMRP Executive Summit being held on October 23, 2007 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Houston.
This one-of-a-kind event is designed to provide your top executives the opportunity to network with their peers from other large organizations, and includes high level presentations by Business Executives from Anheuser Busch, Johns Manville, Alcoa, Rohm and Hass, and BHP Mining in a non-commercial environment. Each presentation delivers high level business information -this is NOT a technical seminar- relating to the business and financial success each company has experienced through a focus on Reliability Improvement. Your executives will leave this experience informed of the substantial business performance improvement others have experienced, and motivated and ready to support your ideas to accomplish similar results in your company.
Space is limited to provide an enhanced peer networking and interaction experience.
Find out more about getting your top management involved with the SMRP Executive Summit by contacting Debra Fernandez, SMRP, Ph: 703-245-8011 or 800-950-7354
May 03, 2007
Test Equipment Tip
Inspect that Equipment!
Your electrical test equipment is like an old friend. It’s always there when you need it and it never lets you down. Here’s how you can keep it that way!
1. Make sure you treat the equipment with care. You wouldn’t throw your laptop computer or your flat screen TV in the back of a pick-up so why should equipment be any different. Even though test equipment is designed for heavy duty service, handling the equipment with care greatly extends the service life.
2. Keep equipment in calibration and in good repair. Manufacturer’s of test equipment go to great lengths to make sure equipment is accurate. Even though a piece of test equipment is working fine, making sure it is in calibration assures that the results you get lead to good decisions.
3. Read the manual. Instructions are made to make the equipment easy to use and, to provide information vital to achieving good results. A few minutes with the owner’s manual may save you hours in the field.
Test equipment is no different than any other tool that you use. You depend on it and it gives you the answers you need. By following a few simple steps, you can make sure that “old friend” never lets you down.
Tip provided by Baker Instrument Company
(970) 282-1200
(800) 752-8272
http://www.bakerinst.com
May 03, 2007
Over 180 FREE Infrared Seminars
FLIR is offering over 180 FREE Infrared Seminars throughout the United States and Canada in 2007. These seminars were created to bring novice and long-time infrared users up to speed with the latest on infrared.
To register, visit FLIR’s Infrared Seminar site or call 1-800-254-0633.
May 03, 2007
Uptime Magazine Tip
Uptime Magazine published one of those online magazines where you can turn the pages like a printed magazine but many folks simply want a flat PDF version to store and read off line.
It is easy to do by following a few simple steps:
1) Click the link below to access the Uptime Magazine digital library
2) Select the issue and let it load (requires Flash Player)
3) Use the Digi Magazine print icon in the upper right corner between the + - Magnifying Glasses and Email icon. Note - do not use your browser print function
4) Select the pages you wish - or select all and click the “print” button
5) Choose PDF as your printer and select a location to save
You now have an Uptime Magazine in PDF
May 03, 2007
"Thinking Outside The Box" Tip
Sometimes the machinery problem is so complicated that specialized techniques or equipment is required just to get a peak into hidden areas. Many times this special “stuff” is right in front of us all the time!
Often, a simple Infrared scan of mechanical equipment may be overlooked by the analyst due to the fact that we “usually” use Infrared for electrical problems. Heat signatures are very telling measurements on any equipment.
Signal processing techniques that are used to average, isolate, or enhance a masked or intermittent signals may be considered a little out of reach of the beginner or novice analyst, but widely available in basic data collector platforms. Some OEM “wizards” are even in-place to guide the user.
What may be needed may be a combination of technology and signal processing. Consider synchronous time averaging of existing proximity probe pairs to enhance orbit analysis patterns.
Or maybe the answer may be found by the application of smaller transducers into tight areas. Consider a dynamic Strain Gage transducer. These small essentially throw-away units can be processed like any other transducer, but can be mounted on almost any surface and tolerate the most adverse conditions. The generated frequencies will be of interest even if the units may be unfamiliar.
Tip provided by Dan Ambre
Full Spectrum Diagnostics
May 03, 2007
Maintenance Planning & Scheduling & TPM User Group
Marshall Institute’s 2007 MPS & TPM/TPR Users Conferences are only 3 weeks away! This combo-conference is your opportunity to learn what others are doing to improve their maintenance processes!
Reasons to Attend:
- Learn best practices from industry leaders.
- Group break out session to meet with your peers and discuss common issues and successes from across the world.
- Subject matter experts provide information to help optimize your systems back at your facility.
“Excellent tools to be utilized in different organizations across many different disciplines.” – Anthony Barone, Schering Plough Corp.
Find Out More About The Maintenance Planning & Scheduling & TPM User Group
May 03, 2007
Preventive Maintenance Tip
Quantifiable Preventive Maintenance (PM) for Critical Gear-sets
A simple and effective method for determining the condition of critical gear sets is to conduct visual inspections during shut-down. This can be accomplished twice a year and, with the aid of digital cameras, can be easily documented in detail.
Whether you accomplish this on your own or outsource it, the following items should be considered prior to conducting a gear inspection:
1. LO/TO procedures required prior to opening up a gear case (do you want lube systems operating so you can observe function?)
2. Location of the gear case viewports, ease of access, safety, and additional gear required (ladders, man lifts, flashlights, etc.)
3. Condition of area where viewports are located (oily, dark, hot, humid, gas free)
4. Tools required to remove and replace viewports (gasket material in place, required replacement, etc.)
5. Experience and phobias of gear inspection team (fear of heights, care given to procedure, knowledge and experience level?)
6. Minimum personnel should include an inspector (picture taker), a note taker, and a safety observer
7. Safety gear and PPE required
8. Anticipated time requirement and expectations for completion
9. Quality of digital camera, battery life, and memory available
10. Shaft marking and location (i.e. white tape strip at 12 o’clock) that can insure inspection of the same gears, time after time
By pre-opening viewports and closing them up immediately after use, you can gain efficiency in this task by not waiting for each box to be opened. There needs to be caution exercised in not dropping anything into the gear cases. Safety lanyards attached to the camera and flashlights may also save your equipment. And, closing viewports immediately after use will help to keep other foreign items out of the box.
A quick pre-look of the overall condition of the box, before peering in, is always a good idea. Check to see if breathers are installed. What type are they? Where are they located? Also check fill areas, leaking areas, and any other items. Once you peek inside, all areas inside the box should be photographed and quickly reviewed for quality - on the spot. A flash will almost certainly, be required. By systematically taking these photos (i.e. left mesh, center mesh, right mesh, gears looking-up, left/up, center/up, right, and gears looking down, left/down, center/down, right), the inspector will be readily able to remember where and of what these photos were taken.
The inspector should relate observations to the note taker during and after shooting photos. Wear patterns can be noted as well as depth of pitting, spalling, and/or extreme fatigue wear. The condition of the inside of the box, lube spray nozzles, drip bars, and visible contamination should also be noted. Additional quantifiable items can be recorded during this inspection too, depending on the time allotted, the tools provided, and the objectives of the team.
Immediately following a gear inspection, the digital photos should be organized onto a word processing document so that all identification, measurements, notes and comments can be grouped together with the associated photos. This is likely, the most time-consuming part of the job. Once finished, a printed rough will provide a good, first pass for review. These photos can be compared to published or online photos taken by gear inspection experts so that an accurate determination of the wear phenomena can be made.
The final copy will provide significant documentation on the condition of your critical gear-sets. These can be easily compared, every six months, to determine wear trends. The results of actions taken to improve gear operations can also be reviewed, such as correction of misalignment or changeover to a higher quality lubricant. Severe wear fatigue can also be noted to prompt a proactive order for a new gear set, thus negating the need for an emergency order after a catastrophic failure.
All in all, proactive gear inspections are relatively easy to do and can provide great insight into the operation of your critical gear-sets.
Eric Bevevino, CMRP, CLS, is a Business & Reliability Strategist for Management Resources Group, Inc. He is a Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional as well as a Certified Lubrication Specialist.
May 03, 2007
Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Tip
When do you stop drilling down in your Root Cause Analysis (RCA)?
A rule of thumb could be that you drill down until the solution is obvious. As we know, the deeper we drill the more detail is provided. There will come a point where the solution is obvious and there is no real value in drilling any deeper. For instance, we might find that an operator did not follow a correct procedure that was in place because 1) he was never trained in how to do so and 2) there was a loophole in the training system that did not require such training for operators coming from a different area in the same facility. The solutions become obvious at this point that we should correct the training system by filling in the “loophole” and provide the operator the appropriate training. There will always be a question as to the value of going deeper and this ultimately becomes a subjective decision on behalf of the analyst and the team.
Tip provided by Bob Latino
Reliability Center Inc.
http://www.reliability.com
