Reliability Centered Maintenance, RCM
Steve Williamson
November 19, 2009 / WMEA, San Antonio, Texas
Reliability Centered Maintenance - RCM
What is RCM?
RCM is a process used to determine the
maintenance requirements of any piece of
machinery when it is operating. Reliability-
Centered Maintenance develops Planned
Maintenance Programs which are cost effective
processes design to obtain the life expectancy of
the component.
How Does RCM Work?
Once the RCM process has been applied to a
system, assembly, or subassembly the following
information is determined:
FunctionWhat does this component do?
Functional FailureHow can it fail?
Failure ModeHow do you know it had failed?
Failure EffectWhat is the impact of the failure?
The above process is essentially a Failure Mode and
Effect Analysis (FMEA).
Six Failure Patterns
A Bathtub curve, infant mortality settling
down to a random failure then wear out zone
B Traditional view, random failure then
wear out zone
C Steady Increase in the probability of
failure
D Sharp Increase in the probability of
failure settling down to random failure
E Random failure, no relationship to age
F Reversed J-curve, infant mortality
How Does RCM Work?
Based on the Failure Mode & Effect Analysis,
(FMEA), information the RCM process then
examines Failure Consequences.
Will the failure be immediately evident, Y or N?
Does the failure impact
Safety
The Environment
Operations
How Does RCM Work?
Is a task to detect whether the failure is occurring or
about to occur technically feasible and worth doing?
If No, then there is No scheduled maintenance.
If Yes identify the type of task; inspection, repair,
replacement or condition-based task.
Then identify an Interval for the task, (Frequency Hours)
Then identify who performs the task i.e. mechanic.
RCM Task Analysis
The Right Task
At The Right Time 923
Using The Right People
With The Right Recommendations 684
Original PM Sheets
RCM Plan
165
55
Tasks Hours
FMEA Results
Functional Location, Description, Failure Cause / Effect, Tooling, Skill, Time
Maintenance Task Sheet
RHM PreVail Background
PreVail is a hosted solution
PreVail Application Server Enterprise Historian
Simplifies Implementation
Reduces Cost of Ownership P&H NETWORK
Instant Software updates INTERNET
Realize more value
User access via any Internet Client Business NETWORK
connection
FW
PreVail via Internet
Client Mine NETWORK
Data Logger
Buffer Sensor & Alarm Data
RCM Failure Mode Analysis
PreVails Diagnostics and
1 reporting tools were
developed to:
2
PM
CM / Predictive
Life Extension
RCM Benefits
Improved productivity through the reduction in
unplanned downtime.
Higher Availability through reduced maintenance
hours
Receive a proactive maintenance plan focusing on
what task need to be preformed for each component
Results to Date 2009
Machine lives 17,000 to 83,000 Hours
Availability 85 %to 91% (based on 24x7)
Mean Time to Failure 78 to 845 Hours
Mean Time between Failure 159 to 496 Hours
Mean Time to Repair 6 to 44 Hours
