Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM)

Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM), is an industrial improvement approach focused on identifying and establishing the operational, maintenance, and capital improvement policies that will manage the risks of equipment failure most effectively. It is defined by the technical standard SAE-JA1011, Evaluation Criteria for RCM Processes. Reliability centered maintenance is an engineering framework that enables the definition of a complete maintenance regime. It regards maintenance as the means to maintain the functions a user may require of machinery in a defined operating parameters. As a discipline it enables machinery stakeholders to monitor, assess, predict and generally understand the working of their physical assets.

1.    The RCM process is to identify the operating context of the machinery, to write
                    and review a Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) parameters.

2.    Application of "RCM logic", helps determine the appropriate maintenance testing
                    for the identified failure modes in the FMECA.

3.    Once this logic is complete for all elements in the FMECA, the resulting list of
                    maintenance is "packaged", so that the interval of the tasks are rationalized
                    to be called up in work packages.
                    NOTE: It is important not to destroy the applicability of maintenance in this phase.

4.    RCM is kept throughout the 'in-service' life of machinery, where the effectiveness
                   of the maintenance is kept under constant review and adjusted in light of the
                   experience gained and operating condition of the equipment.

Reliability Centered Maintenance can be used to create a cost-effective maintenance strategy to address dominant causes of equipment failure. It is a systematic approach to defining a routine maintenance program composed of cost-effective tasks that preserve important functions.

The important functions (of a piece of equipment) to preserve with routine maintenance are identified, their dominant failure modes and causes determined and the consequences of failure ascertained. Levels of criticality are assigned to the consequences of failure. Some functions are not critical and are left to "run to failure" while other functions must be preserved at all cost. Maintenance tasks are selected that address the dominant failure causes. This process directly addresses maintenance preventable failures. Failures caused by unlikely events, non-predictable acts of nature, etc. will usually receive no action provided their risk (combination of severity and frequency) is trivial (or at least tolerable). When the risk of such failures is very high, RCM encourages (and sometimes mandates) the user to consider changing something which will reduce the risk to a tolerable level.

The result is a maintenance program that focuses scarce economic resources on those items that would cause the most disruption if they were to fail.

RCM emphasizes the use of Predictive Maintenance (PdM) techniques in addition to traditional preventive measures. Most PdM inspections are performed while equipment is in service, thereby minimizing production disruption of normal system operations. Adoption of PdM in the maintenance of equipment can result in substantial cost savings and higher system reliability. It is a systematic approach to defining a routine maintenance program composed of cost-effective tasks that preserve important functions. The result is a maintenance program that focuses scarce economic resources on those items that would cause the most disruption if they were to fail. Hence, a return-on-investment (ROI) for each maintenance dollar spent on any given PM Program is expected.

Predictive maintenance (PdM) techniques in addition to traditional preventive measures. PM Program management responsibilities can vary. For instance, routine testing and monitoring of manufacturing rotating equipment program management responsibilities include the responsibilities for data collection program:

Oil Analysis

               Emission Spectroscopy (Elemental or Spectro-chemical Analysis)
                    21 Elements
                Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR)
                    Moisture        Oxidation        Nitration
                    Sulfates          Solvents         Insolubles

Ferrography (Wear Particle Analysis)
    Particle Count
    Cleanliness
    Analytical Evaluation

Filter Analysis

Write new lubricant specifications

Vibration Analysis

Thermography (corona detection)

Ultra Sonics (Leak Detection or acoustic)

To-day, oil analysis programs utilize modern technology and laboratory instruments to determine equipment condition and lubricant serviceability. Contact REAL Services and have us help you customize PdM Program for you, your company and investors; Making your PM Program mean "Profit Making"™.

REAL Services 700 Portage Trail Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221.3057

voice: 330.630.3700 fax: 330.630.3733