Linking Enhanced Reliability to the State of Lubrication
Classic 49 questions from Josh Kaufman to improve your results
How many of the world’s 10 most-read books have you read? [I'm at four. Hint: Twilight and Quotations of Chairman Mao are not among them.]
Seven causes of gear pump cavitation
C. S. Lewis on the Inner Ring (and a superior alternative circle into which to seek entry)
For our video this week, I give you Clint Mansell’s Lux Aeterna [Wikipedia]:
Book Review: Maintenance Engineering Handbook
Mobley’s handbook is not what I expected. In the practice of maintenance engineering, there is some information that is valuable to have on-hand for access at any moment:
What Mobley’s handbook does mostly contain is a collection of essays on topics similar to those described, and others.
The book’s primary use on my bookshelf will be to refer young engineers and other who might need a remedial education in fundamental topics to get them started. “Never worked with pumps? Read section 5, chapter 12 and then we’ll discuss the reliability issues we’ve been having.”
The book covers maintenance engineering in a broad and shallow manner. Therefore, features what one might find useful will be very situational. There are many useful pictures, diagrams, and methods throughout the text. Here are just a few.
Chapter 1: Redefining Maintenance—Delivering Reliability
Chapter 2: Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Maintenance
Chapter 3: Maintenance and Reliability Engineering
Chapter 4: Cooperative Partnerships
Chapter 5: Effective Maintenance Organizations
Chapter 6: Operating Policies of Effective Maintenance
Chapter 7: Six Sigma Safety: Applying Quality Management Principles to Foster a Zero-Injury Safety Culture
Chapter 1: Corrective Maintenance
Chapter 2: Reliability-Based Preventive Maintenance
Chapter 3: Predictive Maintenance
Chapter 4: Reliability-Centered Maintenance
Chapter 5: Total Productive Maintenance
Chapter 6: Maintenance Repair and Operations—Storeroom Excellence
Chapter 7: Computerized Planning and Scheduling
Chapter 8: Computer-Based Maintenance Management Systems
Chapter 1: Economics of Reliability
Chapter 2: Work Measurement
Chapter 3: Rating and Evaluating Maintenance Workers
Chapter 4: Work Simplification in Maintenance
Chapter 5: Estimating Repair and Maintenance Costs
Chapter 6: Key Performance Indicators
Chapter 7: Maintenance Engineer’s Toolbox
Chapter 8: Root Cause Analysis
Chapter 1: Maintenance of Low-Sloped Membrane Roofs
Chapter 2: Concrete Industrial Floor Surfaces: Design, Installation, Repair, and Maintenance
Chapter 3: Maintenance and Cleaning of Brick Masonry Structures
Chapter 4: Maintenance of Elevators and Special Lifts
Chapter 5: Air-Conditioning Equipment
Chapter 6: Ventilating Fans and Exhaust Systems
Chapter 7: Dust-Collecting and Air-Cleaning Equipment
Chapter 1: Plain Bearings
Chapter 2: Rolling-Element Bearings
Chapter 3: Flexible Couplings for Power Transmission
Chapter 4: Chains for Power Transmission
Chapter 5: Cranes: Overhead and Gantry
Chapter 6: Chain Hoists
Chapter 7: Belt Drives
Chapter 8: Mechanical Variable-Speed Drives
Chapter 9: Gear Drives and Speed Reducers
Chapter 10: Reciprocating Air Compressors
Chapter 11: Valves
Chapter 12: Pumps: Centrifugal and Positive Displacement
Chapter 1: Electric Motors
Chapter 2: Maintenance of Motor Control Components
Chapter 3: Maintenance of Industrial Batteries
Chapter 1: Mechanical Instruments for Measuring Process Variables
Chapter 2: Electrical Instruments for Measuring, Servicing, and Testing
Chapter 3: Vibration: Its Analysis and Correction
Chapter 4: An Introduction to Termography
Chapter 5: Tribology
Chapter 1: The Organization and Management of Lubrication
Chapter 2: Lubricating Devices and Systems
Chapter 3: Planning and Implementing a Good Lubrication Program
Chapter 1: Corrosion Control
Chapter 2: Industrial Chemical Cleaning Methods
Chapter 3: Painting and Protective Coatings
Chapter 4: Piping
Chapter 5: Scaffolds and Ladders
Chapter 1: Arc Welding in Maintenance
Chapter 2: Gas Welding in Maintenance
Last week I was driving in the typical nasty conditions of Rockies in winter when my windshield got dirty. So I pulled the lever for fluid and got… nothing.
I tried again, holding for a few seconds this time and still no fluid.
I pulled over at the next gas station and checked the reservoir. It looked empty, at least in the visible portion. Aha! So I went into the station and bought the most expensive washer fluid I have ever purchased.
I filled the reservoir. Still no fluid. Bummer. Since temperatures were well below freezing, squeegees were not available at the gas pumps. I was stuck with a dirty windshield with my family in the car on 65 mph 2-lane highways.
The issue may sound minor, but a dirty windshield limits visibility, and when the sun shines brightly on it, one can hardly see a thing.
Since safety was now a factor and a permanent fix was not immediately available, the first question is how to mitigate the risk. So I cleared the windshield as well as I could and exercised extra caution on the way home.
As soon as I got home, I took the vehicle out of service and began to troubleshoot. By the end of the repair process, I summarized the problem as follows (click for full size):
In terms of goals, there were three that were impacted. First, there was the increased risk of a safety incident. Second, I had to buy a new washer fluid pump. Third, I had to spend time troubleshooting and fixing the pump and lines.
Since I don’t want to do this again, I traced the causes through a cause map (click for full size):
It turned out that I was unable to pump washer fluid due to a combination of solid contamination and freezing in the pump and the lines.
How did contamination enter the system? It could have come in with new fluid (unlikely) or it could have entered from the environment (far more likely).
Why did it enter from the environment? Because there is no tight seal on top of the reservoir. There is merely a cap that it not air tight.
Since this is a difficult problem to solve since air needs to enter the tank anyway as the level drops, I decided not to attempt to address the problem from this angle except for flushing out the reservoir and cleaning and checking the inlet strainer (which was fine).
Besides, the failure development period for the contamination was 11 years. I probably won’t have the car in another 11 years, and I saw no reason why the failure should happen faster next time.
The freezing issue is different. In this case, I examined the fluid I had in “inventory” at home. The fluid, which I purchased in a much warmer climate, was rated to 0°F, was more than adequate for driving conditions at the time.
When I moved to the bitter cold, I never replaced the fluid. Therefore, the human error involved is operator negligence. I changed the operating context of my equipment without maintaining my vehicle properly.
The solution? I will purchase and use washer fluid rated for -20°F weather. That will not completely eliminate the risk of freezing in this climate, but it will seriously reduce it. I will proactively do the same for my other vehicle.
My family’s safety is worth an extra buck.
Attention mentors and mentees: how to maximize your mentoring investment (with hints on how to get mentored)
Finally! A breath of fresh air. Someone says what needs to be said about quoting Karl Marx
Unless you’re perfect, here’s how to job hunt with less than a full deck
Contrarian advice on giving praise and cheating
An innovative management idea for using social technology to staff projects
Reliability strategy considerations for hydraulic pumps
Fruit fly problems? Forget poison and electrocution! Try option A, option B, and 4 more options
From MindTools: The Eight Causes of Conflict