Computerised Decision-Making Support System Based on Data Fusion for Machinery System’s Management and Maintenance

Abstract

In the present fast-paced world of business in a highly competitive marketplace, the focus on increasing the efficiency of business processes seems to be a reasonable challenge. For this reason in order to optimize production costs, there is an increasing trend toward maximising the use of the operational capabilities of the equipment – technological line components – with the prevention of failure events and their consequences in the form of costly repairs or replacements. A condition-based maintenance (CBM) approach allows to globally monitor, maintain and control operation of the whole complex of equipment and/or processes. The CBM effectively supports decision-making process concerning their further use or determination of the optimum repair/replacement schedule. The presented decision support system is dedicated for an underground copper mine, where the network of belt conveyors is a critical part of the production process. Due to complexity of mechanical system, harsh mining environment and presence of many degradation factors, development of the effective CBM system seems to be justified. It requires the integration of data from different sources, adaptation of advanced data mining techniques, procedures or various diagnostic methods. Because of the multidimensional nature of diagnostic data and diversified technical configurations of the facilities, it was necessary to develop and implement multivariate analytical models based on artificial intelligence techniques. Consequently, it allows to achieve improvement of efficiency of transportation network and reduction of repairs costs and unplanned breakdowns. In this paper we will briefly refer to all these issues.