RS 522 Training Seminar
Advanced System Reliability/Maintainability Analysis

RS 522 explores advanced concepts and applications for system reliability/maintainability analysis and optimization utilizing a reliability block diagram (RBD) approach. ReliaSoft’s BlockSim software is used for hands-on practical examples. Topics include load sharing, standby redundancy, maintenance strategies and using simulation to analyze repairable systems.

The course presents concepts and software tools that you could use to help your organization:

• Identify critical components (or failure modes) and determine the most effective ways to improve system performance through design improvements and/or maintenance planning.
• Use simulation to obtain estimated performance metrics that can facilitate decision-making in a variety of areas, such as scheduling planned maintenance, planning for spares, identifying bottlenecks in production throughput and estimating life cycle costs.

Course Outline

Principles and Theory

Introduction and Overview

• Defining a system.
• Viewing a system as a collection of components and/or component failure modes.

Elementary Reliability Block Diagram (RBD) Constructs and their Analytic Quantification

• Using reliability block diagrams (RBDs) to represent the reliability model of system.
• Series configurations.
• Simple parallel configurations.
• k-out-of-n configurations.
• Complex configurations.
  • Bayes' theorem method.
  • Complex configurations for failure modes, networks and mechanical systems.

Introduction to Time Dependency

• Introduction to time dependency.
• Inclusion of "used" components in modeling.
• System reliability metrics:
  • Obtaining a system pdf.
  • Derivation of functions of interest: system failure rate function, system MTTF, etc.

Advanced Reliability Block Diagram (RBD) Constructs and their Analytic Quantification

• Modeling block dependency:
  • Combining life distributions with life-stress (load) relationships to describe dependency effects.
  • Basic load sharing configurations.
  • k-out-of-n load sharing configurations.
• Modeling standby redundancy:
  • Energized and quiescent failure distributions.
  • "Hot," "Warm" and "Cold" standby definitions.
  • Switching (perfect or imperfect switching, with delays, retries and switch quiescent failure probabilities).
  • k-out-of-n-plus-M standby configurations.
• Additional reliability block diagram (RBD) constructs:
  • Nodes.
  • Containers.
  • Block Encapsulation (subdiagram blocks).
  • Block Multiplicity.
  • Block Mirroring.

Identifying Opportunities

• Identifying importance of components, subsystems (and or modes) and their overall impact on system reliability.

Optimum Reliability Allocation

• Cost/Feasibility functions.
• Determining component reliabilities to achieve system goal.
• Specifying component reliabilities to achieve system goal.

Introduction to Discrete Event Simulation

 

Introduction to Repairable Systems Analysis: Fundamentals of Maintainability and Availability

• Repair and downtime distributions and metrics.
• Introduction to renewal theory.
• Introduction to maintainability.
• Imperfect repairs (restoration factors).
• Availability definitions:
  • Instantaneous (Point) Availability
  • Mean Availability
  • Steady State Availability
  • Inherent Availability
  • Achieved Availability
  • Operational Availability

Introduction to Preventive Maintenance (PM) Principles

• When does "Preventive Maintenance" make sense?
• The fallacy of "Constant Failure Rate" and "Preventive Replacement."
• Quantifying preventive vs. corrective replacement strategies.
• Determining optimum PM intervals.
• Modeling effects of PM actions.

Advanced Simulation Options: Using Policies, Pools and Resources

• Adding Crews to the analysis.
  • Probabilistic elements.
  • Crew costs.
  • Crew utilization metrics and bottlenecks.
• Adding Spare Part Pools (Depots) to the analysis.
  • Probabilistic elements.
  • Spare part inventory management, costs.
  • Spare utilization metrics and bottlenecks.
  • Standard, on-condition and upon emergency spare part provisioning with associated costs and probabilistic delays.
• Utilizing "Corrective," "Preventive" and "Inspection" actions with associated policies.
  • Corrective actions, "Immediate" or "Upon Inspection" (hidden/discovery).
  • Inspections based on system time, component age and/or other system events (e.g. similar component failure elsewhere in the system).
  • PM actions based on system time, component age and/or other system events (e.g. similar component failure elsewhere in the system).

Visualizing and Improving System Availability

• Looking at common metrics (MTBF, MTBDE, MTBE, AX, etc.) and charts.
• Additional (new) metrics for identifying opportunities in repairable systems:
  • RS-FCI (ReliaSoft's Failure Criticality Index).
  • RS-DECI (ReliaSoft's Downing Event Criticality Index).
• FRED reports.

Throughput Analysis

• Throughput metrics and terminology.
  • System throughput.
  • Component throughput.
  • System and component utilization metrics.
• Bottlenecks identification.
• Backlog processing.

Including Costs in the Analysis, Introduction to Life Cycle Cost Analysis

• Determination of the probabilistic costs associated with system operation.
• Sample financial analysis.

Introduction to Reliability Phase Diagrams

 

Hands-On Software Workshop

BlockSim Software Familiarization

• Introduction to and familiarization with BlockSim.
• Creating models in BlockSim that apply all of the above principles.

Hands-on Workshop, Examples

• Individually work through detailed examples with step-by-step instructions to complete sample analyses.

Group Case Studies

• Using realistic cases (described in an objective statement), determine how to set up and analyze each case in a team environment.