Condition-based Maintenance and Machine Diagnostics

Book excerpt: Condition-based monitoring is an accepted feature of many industries: petro-chemical, power generation, coal mining and steel-making, for instance. In manufacturing, its application has been somewhat muted. This text attempts to present the fundamental justification for condition-based maintenance together with enough analytic and practical guidance for its implementation. There are chapters on the two dominant techniques of vibration and debris analysis. Also, basic diagnostic methods are given along with a presentation of the systems approach to condition monitoring. A detailed case study shows the practical application of the techniques presented. Finally, future developments in the use of expert systems and A1 techniques are highlighted. Condition-based Maintenance and Machine Diagnostics gives details of both off-the-shelf solutions and analytic diagnostic techniques to enable a bespoke solution to be developed. It is suitable for senior undergraduates and postgraduates in the field of manufacturing and industrial engineering, and it furnishes managers in industry with sufficient information to judge the usefulness of the techniques for their particular application.