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Articles: Predictive Maintenance and Condition Monitoring Management

The Bear(ing) Minimum

Minimum Loads of Spherical Roller Bearings and Some Lubrication Basics

by Charles Kropewnicki

In my experiences as both a Bearing Applications Engineer and a Reliability Engineer there seems to be a common problem with double row “spherical roller bearings” (SRB) operating well below their minimum load ratings.  This is especially prevalent in overhung fan and blower designs utilizing couplings to transfer power. This issue will usually raise its ugly head in the form of elevated temperature on the coupling side pillow block bearing.  In some cases, due to the overhung load distribution, the coupling side bearing will have a load facing upward or even none at all.  The worst case is when the SRB acts as the fixed bearing and takes a thrust load, despite having little or no radial load.

The Best Bang for the Buck

Presented by Val Zacharias

The ultimate goal is profit. The more profitable your company is, the more secure your job is, and the more opportunities you have. Profit is a good thing.

In machinery-rich plants, one really good tool to help achieve profit is well done Predictive Condition Monitoring. "Condition monitoring" is a common term, but it is a bit limited for this purpose. Adding "predictive" to the mix gives you big returns. "Predictive" implies a time lapse between the identification of the problem and the necessity for repair. That gives you time to order parts, time to organize workers, and, most importantly, the opportunity to choose the best time to do the work. Maybe your plant has scheduled downtime, and you could add this task to the list. Maybe there are several repairs, each requiring about a half day, and with proper planning, they could all be done during one shutdown. The big financial benefit here is limiting the downtime required for the repair.

The Errors in Availability

As the direct cost of managing physical assets has continued to increase, so too has the need to focus managerial efforts at reducing and better controlling these costs. This has also led to an increased need to monitor the effects of maintenance and reliability programs. Among the more prevalent indicators in use today is that of Availability.

The Impact on Bearing Life of Overtensioned Belts

by Jeremy Davis and Hunter Golden

One of the leading causes of premature bearing failure can be attributed to overload and overstress conditions.  A common catalyst for this type of condition is improper belt tensioning.  Increasing the radial load on a bearing will drastically reduce the expected bearing life span and can be graphically illustrated as y=1/x (0<x<infinity).  In order to achieve optimal design expectations, procedure based, precision maintenance practices must be utilized.

The Many Uses of Contact Ultrasound

by Thomas J. Murphy, Eng.

The use of ultrasound as a predictive tool has been with us for over 35 years.  Yet, despite its vintage, the use – and, indeed the understanding – of this technology is still not widespread.  This article continues an exploration of airborne ultrasound applications that we started in the June/July issue.  In this article, I will explain how, just by changing from an airborne sensor to a contact probe, we can use ultrasonic inspection in a myriad of mechanical applications.

Timken Podcast: Predictive Maintenance and Condition Based Monitoring, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Timken Podcast: Predictive Maintenance and Condition Based Monitoring, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow with Terrence O'Hanlon, CMRP, Publisher of Reliabilityweb.com and Uptime Magazine and Tom Millis. Manager, Global Reliability Services, The Timken Company.

You can listen to this 15 minute audio podcast via streaming by clicking the arrow (requires speakers or headphones) below or you can download the MP3 audio file for your iPod, Blackberry, Smartphone or other portable audio player.

Transitions - When to Move from Walk-Around to Online Systems for PdM

by Dennis Shreve

Rotating equipment in production facilities offers optimal performance and reliability when properly installed, maintained, and operated.  Condition monitoring devices and systems are utilized to keep tabs on the operational performance of key production equipment.  All types of tools and technologies exist today in the predictive maintenance field to allow monitoring and assessment of such equipment.

Understanding and Implementing Predictive Maintenance Excellence

By Kenneth D. Peoples Lubrication Champion / Maintenance Manager IDS-Boeing Wichita Wichita, Kansas Shared Services Group /Site Services

Implementing a PdM program can be tough in today's world of corporate business thinking. In order to pursue an effective program you will need to have a basic plan with real world goals and objectives. This overview will show the very basics of implementing a program strategy that will lead to success. The examples will be real and the results will be real as well. Understanding where to start and where to focus in the future is critical. This paper and presentation will give some insight to starting up and sustaining an effective program.

 

Why do PdM Programs Fail?

Lack of Consistency in Methodology

by Tom Francisco, PE, CMRP

There are a number of reasons why Predictive Maintenance (PdM) programs fail.  In recent years we have seen an industry shift toward outsourcing these functions to PdM service providers and/or equipment vendors in order to remedy the issues that have made it difficult for plants to run their own programs.  This article will focus on the common problem of a lack of consistency in how the PdM program is run and managed, more from a technical level than a personnel level – although the two are often related.  If your plant has not received the advertised 10:1, 20:1 or even 30:1 return on investment (ROI) promised by these programs then this article may provide you with one of the reasons why.

Why Do Predictive Maintenance Programs Fail?

by Alan Friedman

In the past few years we have witnessed a marked change in predictive maintenance (PdM) practices whereby more and more companies are choosing to outsource their programs. While many facilities routinely calculate 20:1 return on investment metrics, others cynically refer to aging data collectors as "dust collectors" or use them as bookends.

 

Why PdM Programs Fail:  Misuse of Technology

by Alan Friedman

A very good mechanic knows that you need the right tool for the job, but a common problem with PdM programs is that sometimes people acquire the tool before fully understanding what problem needs to be fixed. Of course, when you have a hammer all of your problems look like nails, and what follows from this mistaken view is a whole list of reasons why PdM programs fail. The biggest lesson I learned from engineering school is that the solution to a problem is most often found in its correct definition. That is, solutions become obvious when you really understand what the problem is.

 

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