Reliability-centred Maintenance

MAINTENANCE ENGINEERING III

(MEN3701)

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 Reliability-centered Maintenance
• Additional Reading:

1. RCM Solution - A Practical Guide to Starting and Maintaining a Successful RCM Program by
Nancy Regan – Knovel - RCM Solution - A Practical Guide to Starting and Maintaining a
Successful RCM Program
2. RCM3 - Risk-Based Reliability centered Maintenance by Marius Basson - Knovel - RCM3™ -
Risk-Based Reliability Centered Maintenance

To access Knovel resources:

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In the e-book databases section, click on “Knovel: engineering technical reference information
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 Reliability-centered Maintenance
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 Reliability-centered Maintenance
Definition:
Reliability centered Maintenance (RCM) a systematic framework used to determine what has to be
accomplished to ensure that any physical facility is able to continuously meet its designed functions
in its current operating context.

RCM Goals and Principles

• To develop design-associated priorities that can facilitate
PM.
• To gather information useful for improving the design of
items with proven unsatisfactory, inherent reliability.
• To develop PM-related tasks that can reinstate reliability and
safety to their inherent levels in the event of equipment or
system deterioration.
• 4T/3
o/2a0c2h3 ieve the above goals when the total cost is minimal. Department of Mechanical Engineering 2
 Reliability-centered Maintenance
RCM Process:
• Identify important items with respect to maintenance: Important items are identified using
techniques FMEA and fault tree analysis FTA.

• Obtain appropriate failure data. In determining occurrence probabilities and assessing

criticality, the availability of data on part failure rate, operator error probability, and inspection
efficiency is essential.

• Develop fault tree analysis data. Probabilities of occurrence of fault events basic, intermediate,
and top events-are calculated as per combinatorial properties of the logic elements in the fault
tree.

• Apply decision logic to critical failure modes. The decision logic is designed to lead, by asking
standard assessment questions, to the most desirable preventive maintenance task
combinations.

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RCM Process:
• Classify maintenance requirements. Maintenance
requirements are categorized into three: on-condition
maintenance requirements, condition-monitoring
maintenance requirements, and hard-time maintenance
requirements.

• Implement RCM decisions. Task frequencies and intervals

are set/enacted as part of the overall maintenance strategy
or plan.

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Failure Mode Effect and Criticality Analysis (FMECA):

These questions are the core of the RCM process:

• What are the functions and associated expected levels of the facility performance in its current
operating context?

• How might it fail to meet its assigned functions (functional failure)?

• What are the reasons for each functional failure (failure modes)?

• What are the effects of each failure (failure effects)?

• How does each failure matter (failure consequences)?

• What remedial measures should be taken to prevent or predict each failure?

• What measures should be taken in the event of not finding a suitable proactive task?

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 Reliability-centered Maintenance
• Q1: What are the functions and associated expected levels of the facility performance in its
current operating context?

• This assesses what the asset is intended/designed to do, including the standard
performance. To answer this question, we need to understand the operating functions
of each asset.
Primary Function: the main reason why the asset was acquired or the main
purpose of the asset.
Provide an example: A car travels at 250km/h

Secondary Function: every asset is expected to do more than fulfil its primary
function. The other functions of the asset are regarded as secondary functions.
Provide an example: To carry a maximum of 5 people

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• Any asset is expected to preform at a certain performance standard.

• Performance standard is the extent to which a user wants an asset to do anything can be
defined by a minimum standard of performance. This will allow us to evaluate whether
the asset fails to meet user expectations.
Primary Function: the main reason why the asset was acquired or the main
purpose of the asset.
Provide an example: A car travels at 200 km/h

Secondary Function: every asset is expected to do more than fulfil its primary
function. The other functions of the asset are regarded as secondary functions.

Provide an example: To carry a maximum of 5 people

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• Q1: What are the functions and associated expected levels of the facility performance
in its current operating context?

The operating context considers the raw materials being processed, whether the
equipment is used 24 h a day/7 days per week, if there is possible contamination such
as dust, how abrasive is the material being handled, they type of load or stresses that the
asset is subjected to, how are the weather conditions at different locations, what
environmental regulations apply for each operation and how these factors would affect
the maintenance program of an asset.

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• Q2: How might it fail to meet its assigned functions (functional failure)?

• This assesses the ways in which an asset can fail. Failure of a component occurs when
there is a significant deviation from its original condition that renders it unacceptable
for its user.
Partial Failure: This is when the asset is functioning, but to an unacceptable
standard.
Provide an example: The car travels at 80 km/h

Total Failure: When the asset is unable to perform its intended function
Provide an example: The car cannot start

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• Q3: What are the reasons for each functional failure (failure modes)?
• This assesses the causes of the failure. And understanding these causes will enable the
correct maintenance strategy to be allocated.

• Deterioration: when things we use come into contact with different pressures or
stresses, they tend to deteriorate over time.

• Lubrication Failures: when there's not enough lubricant, and the second is when the
lubricant itself doesn't work properly.

• Dirt and Contamination: Dirt or dust is a very common and usually preventable cause
of failure, dirt interferes directly with machines by causing them to block.

Knovel - RCM3™ - Risk-Based Reliability Centered Maintenance

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• Q4: What happens when the failure occurs (failure effects)?
• This assesses the evidence that the failure has occurred.

• “What happens when failure occurs?” whereas a failure consequence answers

the question “How does it matter?”

To put together the topics from RQ1 to RQ4 provides us with a failure mode effect

analysis. Let us consider the FMEA for a fuel pump below:

Function (F) Functional Failure Mode Failure Effect
Failure (FF) (FM)

1. Supply fuel to A. Fuel not 1. Filter is blocked Engine will not run
engine supplied to engine

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• Q5: How does each failure matter (failure consequences)?
• How does the failure affect cost, operation, safety and the environment?

Criticality Analysis
the Risk Priority Number (RPN) is a numerical assessment used to prioritize failure

modes based on their risk levels. The RPN is calculated by multiplying three factors:

Severity (S), Probability of Occurrence (O), and Probability of Detection (D).

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Severity Index
Criticality Analysis – Severity Rank Criteria
1 An insignificant effect not perceived by production
Severity (S) represents the potential
2 An insignificant effect, which is perceived by production, but does not
affect the system performance
consequences or impact of a failure
3 Negligible effect, which causes minor inconvenience to production, but
does not affect the system performance
mode on the system, equipment, or
4 Negligible effect, which causes disruption to production and slightly
process being analyzed. This reveals affects system performance

5 Minor effect, which causes disruption to production but does not affect
the effects of each failure mode and system performance

6 Minor effect, which causes disruption to production and reasonably

evaluating the severity of each affects system performance

7 Moderate effect, which impairs system performance leading to a serious

associated effect. It is typically failure or a failure that can prevent the execution of system functions

8 Significant effect, resulting in serious failure but does not endanger the
assessed on a numerical scale, with safety of people and does not result in significant cost

higher values indicating more severe 9 Critical effect that causes customer dissatisfaction (production),
disrupts project functions, generates significant cost of failure and
consequences. poses slight safety risk (there is no risk of fatalities or serious injury) of
people.
10 Very severe, risk of fatalities or serious injury or other significant cost of
failure that jeopardizes the operational continuity of the organization
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Criticality Analysis – Occurrence Probability of Occurence

Occurrence index or frequency of Rank Criteria

failures—Classifies the failures according 1 Extremely remote chance for failure
to their probability of occurrence. This
2 Remote chance for failure
factor reflects the likelihood or probability
3 Minor chance of occurrence
that the failure mode will occur within a
4 Small number of occurrences
specific time frame.
5 Occasional number of failures

6 Moderate occurrence

7 Frequent occurrence

8 High failure rate

9 Very high failure rate

4/3/2023 10 Very high failureDepartment

rate; failure is inevitable
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The Detection Index
Criticality Analysis – Detection Rank Criteria
Detection (D) represents the probability
1 Almost certain detection of failure mode
of detection assesses the likelihood of
2 Very high likelihood of detecting failure mode
identifying the failure mode before it
3 High likelihood of detecting failure mode
causes a critical event or harm. It
4 Moderately high likelihood of detecting
considers the effectiveness of existing failure mode
maintenance and inspection practices in 5 Moderate likelihood of detecting failure
mode
detecting the failure mode. 6 Low likelihood of detecting failure mode
7 Very low likelihood of detecting failure mode
8 Remote likelihood of detecting failure mode
9 Very remote likelihood of detecting failure
mode
4/3/2023 10 Cannot detect failure mode
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• Criticality Analysis
the Risk Priority Number (RPN) is a numerical assessment used to prioritize failure

modes based on their risk levels. The RPN is calculated by multiplying three factors:

Severity (S), Probability of Occurrence (O), and Probability of Detection (D).

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• Q6: How can we predict or prevent such failures from happening?

• This assesses the suitable maintenance strategy that can mitigate the failure
consequences
Proactive tasks (PdM and PM): Tasks done before the failure occurs.
Restoration Tasks: restores an asset to an acceptable level without
considering the item’s condition at the time of the task.
Discard Tasks: task scheduled to discard an item without considering the
condition of the asset.
On-condition Tasks: actions taken based on the condition of the asset. Action
are based on the visible warning signs that might occur
In the context of RCM, all proactive maintenance tasks must be technically appropriate
and worth doing

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• Q7: What measures should be taken in the event of not finding a suitable proactive
task?

Default tasks: Tasks that will address the failed state of an asset.

Reactive: no scheduled maintenance

Failure-finding tasks: seeks to find hidden failures e.g failure of a protective
device

Redesign: changing the capabilities of an asset

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Advantages
The application of RCM has many benefits

• Improvement in safety and environmental protection,

• Improvement in product quality,
• Improvement in the useful life of costly items,
• Having a maintenance database
• Improvement in teamwork and greater motivation of individuals,
• Improvement in maintenance cost-effectiveness,
• Higher plant availability and reliability

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Reasons for Failure
The application of RCM has resulted in failure: Explain what it means?

• An analysis conducted at too low a level,

• Too much emphasis placed on failure data,
• The application was superfluous or hurried,
• Computers were used to drive the process;
• Only one individual was assigned to apply RCM,
• Only the maintenance department on its own applied RCM,
• Manufacturers/ equipment vendors were asked to apply RCM on their own

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