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Should panel covers be removed to perform an IR survey of electrical switchgear?

By Gregory R. Stockton

Introduction

As infrared thermographers, from time to time we are asked if we could perform an electrical infrared survey without removing the panel covers...that it might be a more efficient way to perform the survey. This is a great question. It would be more efficient, but an IR survey should not be accomplished in this manner.

Standardization of Absolute Vibration Level and Damage Factors for Machinery Health Monitoring

An attempt has been made to study the vibration level of various machine tools to explore the possibility of establishing the standard vibration level. Till today no vibration standards are available for determining the acceptable vibration level for specific machine tools. However there are some standards available that gives an indication of machinery health based on overall vibration level like ISO 2372 (RMS velocity in the frequency range 10 Hz to 1kHz) and Canadian specifications (RMS velocity in the frequency range 10Hz to 10kHz). But these standards are made for general purpose machinery like pumps, motors, generators and so on. The present study is aimed at establishing the vibration standards for precision machine tools. The machine tools are first segregated and then their vibration data are analyzed for determining the normal vibration level and damage factors (DF). After refining and fixing the vibration standards obtained, they can be used to assess the machinery health.

Now Is The Time to Make A Difference

by Phillip Slater

The impact of the Global Financial Crisis is being felt far and wide. Millions have lost their jobs, production has been cut, shifts dropped, overtime cancelled and budgets slashed. In this environment it is easy to see how people get frustrated and angry. Angry that they lost their jobs through no fault of their own; angry that their colleagues have been let go; angry that they are left to do the work without the manpower that’s really required; angry that their carefully thought out plans are cancelled due to a sudden lack of funding; angry that they are expected to produce results without adequate resources.

Effective Maintenance Structuring - Do It Now

by John Ross

I'm hoping that this is an original quote, "you are where you are by doing exactly what it is that you've been doing"? Said another way, "how can you expect to be better than you are, based on what you've been doing?" It really is a definition of insanity to believe that you would accomplish more by merely doing more of the same. In regards to equipment reliability, and the driving need to continually improve; the status quo just isn't getting the job done.

There’s More to Training than Skills Development

Originally presented at Reliability 2.0

Ken Bass, CMRP, Director, Content and Quality, Management Resources Group

Most organizations have recognized for many years that when we change the way any job is done, we most likely change the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed at that job. For minor changes in the work, some on the job training is sufficient. When the changes involve dramatic differences in the knowledge and skills base, formal training is required. But one question remains. That is, is “how to” training enough since it is very specific to the knowledge and skills for a discrete set of tasks?

Adventures in Engineering Standards - Behind the Scenes of Creating IEEE Std 43-2000

by Howard W. Penrose, PhD, CMRP

Engineering can be a boring career with everyone working with known measurements and absolutes. There is never any doubt that the information contained in a standard or textbook is fact because everything is static, mathematical, and measurable. At least, that is what most people tend to think.

The Case Against Streamlined Reliability Centered Maintanance

1 Introduction

Reliability-centred Maintenance (RCM) is a process used to determine what must be done to ensure that any physical asset or system continues to do whatever its users want it to do. This process finds its roots in work done by the international commercial aviation industry. Driven by the need to improve reliability while containing the cost of maintenance, this industry developed a comprehensive process for deciding what maintenance work is needed to keep aircraft airborne. This process evolved steadily since its early beginnings in 1960.

Reliability Engineering for Maintenance

Utilizing Process Dynamics to Increase Machinery Reliability

Plant and refinery problems require accurate measurements to assess plant productivity and reliability. In fact, as management guru Peter Drucker stated, “You can’t manage what you can’t measure,” forms the basis to many real-world problems, from engineering optimization studies to troubleshooting plant machinery and equipment. Drucker’s statement also alludes to the fact that you cannot know whether or not you are successful unless success is defined and tracked.

Reliability Engineering for Maintenance

The Journey to World-Class Pump Reliability

by Phil Beelendorf

What are the essential elements of a world-class pump reliability program? What best practices lower total cost of ownership and which ones create little value? Is mean time between failures (MTBF) the best measure of improved performance? Roquette America's search for the answers to these questions led the global leader of innovative nutritional ingredients processed from renewable, plant-based raw materials on a journey in search of excellence.