Mobile Maintenance Research Articles

Variable-curvature elephant trunk robot in nuclear industry

In this paper, a variable curvature Elephant trunk robot (ETR) is designed based on the bionic principle to complete the visual inspection and assisted flaw detection tasks in the bottom of the divertor and the vertical port complex pipe area of the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). It offers a miniaturized and lightweight structure with similar load capacity and position accuracy to a rigid robot. It can be installed as a sub-system of the CFETR remote handling maintenance system on various mobile maintenance platforms such as the CFETR multipurpose overload robot and can penetrate various confined spaces and multi-obstacle environments to complete operational tasks. The kinematic model of the ETR is established based on the Denavit Hartenberg (DH) method. A prototype is built according to the design method and trajectory tests are carried out to verify the rationality of the structural design. For ETR trajectory control requirements, three different trajectory tracking control methods are proposed in this paper. The effectiveness of the trajectory tracking methods is verified by simulation. The Elephant Trunk Robot design and control strategy provides a reference for narrow space maintenance task in the CFETR.

Control System Development and Implementation of a CNC Laser Engraver for Environmental Use with Remote Imaging.

This article is aimed at studying the features of the control systems development for a small-sized Computer Numerical Control (CNC) portative laser engraver. The CNC is implemented in mobile maintenance and repair platforms for remote sensing of the environment where the wild environment may not allow us to access the animals and places. The proposed work in this paper is based on recent research, which shows that applying the automated CNC speeds up the processes of repair, modernizes the equipment size, and significantly reduces the economic costs; accordingly, the authors developed a block diagram of a portable CNC laser engraver. The choice of the hardware was also made, taking into account the possibility of quick replacement in the field, which reduces the repair time and the cost of the developed layout. A control system based on the selected modules was synthesized, and a stability check was carried out using MatLab tools. To check the correctness of the developed control system, the authors developed and assembled an experimental layout to illustrate the results of engraving on such a layout. Finally, the stability and sensitivity of the proposed system have been obtained and proved that the system works in a comfortable zone of stability. The obtained results show that the proposed CNC laser engraver has achieved the expected improvements (high speed, small size, short production and repairing time, minimum human influence factor, and achieving a better outcome).

Telework and Mental Health during COVID-19.

COVID-19 has come to change societal organization. Due to lockdowns, work typologies have been rethought and telework has gained strength. However, the impact of the constant use of information and communication technologies on the mental health of workers needs to be considered. We aimed to investigate the impact of different work conditions on mental health, to which end we disseminated an online questionnaire during lockdowns to assess imagined surveillance, mobile maintenance expectation, communication overload, feelings of entrapment, depression, anxiety, stress, and flourishing in four groups (employed in telework, employed on-site, employed in layoff, and unemployed). We computed mean comparisons and serial mediations. We show that depression and anxiety were more prevalent in women; parents flourished more than people without children; and people with a higher level of education feel more entrapment. Crucially, we show that telework was associated with imagined surveillance and communication overload, which mediated the association with mobile maintenance expectations and entrapment (which was exacerbated by parenthood), impacting mental health and the quality of life. However, this was also partially observed in the remaining work conditions. Finally, flourishing worked as a protector against mental health issues in all work conditions. We discuss this given the massification of digital migration.

Optimization of Distributed Maintenance: Design, Scheduling and Capacitated Routing Problem

This paper deals with scheduling maintenance operations for a set of geographically distributed production equipment. The problem emerges in distributed maintenance context, where a central maintenance workshop (CMW) aims to monitor and repair equipment from various production sites and schedule the associated preventive actions. A mobile maintenance workshop (MMW) transports all the resources required for the maintenance tasks to replace the equipment with spare parts provided by the CMW following the predefined schedule. This study proposes a general approach and a model to minimize the maintenance and routing costs while optimizing equipment reliability. The novelty of the proposed model is the consideration of the MMW capacity while designing and scheduling distributed maintenance. We perform several experiments based on a real-world case study to implement the model and highlight its relevance. The studied approach allows choosing the CMW position and the MMW capacity while making a trade-off between the costs and the availability of production equipment.

METHODICAL APPROACH TO DETERMINING THE PROCEDURE FOR WEAPONS AND MILITARY EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE

Maintenance of armaments and military equipment according to the actual (technical) condition with controlled parameters is based on the assessment of the technical condition of the pattern according to the control of its parameters and forecasting the rate of their changes to threshold levels, which allows to operate the pattern until signs of dangerous also exclude the premature execution of certain, especially time-consuming, maintenance operations. The basis of maintenance is diagnosing and forecasting the technical condition of the pattern of weapons and military equipment for a certain period of time. In practice, the initial data for forecasting the technical condition is the history of measuring parameters over time.
 The article presents a methodical approach to determining the scope of work during the maintenance of weapons and military equipment on the actual situation with the control of parameters. It is proposed on the basis of the collected statistical information on the values of the controlled parameters of the pattern of armaments and military equipment to build an approximation function, which describes the process of gradual change of parameters over time.
 The factors influencing changes in the parameters of the technical condition of pattern of armaments and military equipment during their use and storage are considered.
 The time interval of fixing the measured values of the controlled parameters is substantiated. This time interval increases the probability of forecasting the technical condition of the pattern and reduces the possibility of sudden failure of the technical object, reduces the complexity and duration of work on fixing the values of controlled parameters.
 Thus, the proposed model of maintenance of weapons and military equipment makes it possible to determine the required amount of work based on the actual condition of the pattern, taking into account the geographical and climatic characteristics of the area of application, the capabilities of mobile maintenance, spare parts and materials needed for operation, and time allotted for maintenance.

ПІДХІД ДО УНІФІКАЦІЇ РУХОМИХ ЗАСОБІВ ТЕХНІЧНОГО ОБСЛУГОВУВАННЯ ТА РЕМОНТУ РАКЕТНО-АРТИЛЕРІЙСЬКОГО ОЗБРОЄННЯ

The article analyzes approaches to the unification of mobile means of maintenance and repair, and in particular, on the nomenclature of missile and artillery weapons. The classification of mobile means of maintenance and repair has been carried out. A list of the main malfunctions of missile and artillery weapons, which are eliminated through military repair, is given. The analysis of the main problems of maintenance and repair at the initial stage of the Anti-terrorist operation is carried out, and on the basis of trends in the development of mobile maintenance and repair facilities in the leading countries of the world, recommendations are formulated for the modernization of existing and design of mobile maintenance and repair facilities of a new type. The main direction is: 1) use for the base chassis of a family of cars of a domestic manufacturer. 2) modernization of equipment and special equipment of mobile means of maintenance and repair. It is necessary to focus on modular equipment, which can be implemented from the ABS to the troops to order for specific states. 3) reduction of the number of types of mobile means of maintenance and repair rocket and artillery weapon due to unification of equipment, expansion of production capabilities due to repair, maintenance and diagnostics of several groups of weapons and ammunition. 4) consideration of the possibility of application of existing and tested world standards of logistics for the transportation of goods and equipment in standardized packaging. 5) introduction of a means of repair and evacuation "two in one" through the use of platforms with a system of autonomous loading and unloading of the body-container. Keywords: bile vehicles, repairs in the troops, maintenance, unification of mobile repair and maintenance vehicles, missile and artillery weapons.

Mechanism Configuration and Innovation Control System Design for Power Cable Line Mobile Maintenance Robot

SUMMARYHigh-voltage power cables are important channels for power transmission systems. Their special geographical environment and harsh natural environment can lead to many different faults. At present, such special operations in dangerous and harsh environments are performed manually, which not only has high labor intensity and low work efficiency but also has great personal safety risks. In order to solve such difficult problems, this paper studies the power maintenance robot for insulator string replacement, spacer replacement, damper and drainage plate maintenance; the basic configuration and the operation motion planning have been proposed; and the virtual prototype of the inspection maintenance robots has been developed, and then the mechanical structure of the robots has been optimized by the robot kinematics modeling and analyzed the working space based on the Monte Carlo method. The system platform, operation function, structural characteristics and related key technologies involved in the robot system development were systematically summarized; the deep integration point for the robot technology with big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and ubiquitous power Internet-of-Things technologies was also discussed. Finally, the physical prototype of the insulator replacement, drainage plate tightening, and damper replacement operation robot has been developed; several experimental tests on a 220 V live line have been conducted so as to verify the robot engineering practicality; and the main development and future research direction have also been pointed out at last.

Effectiveness assessment of diesel locomotives operation with the use of mobile maintenance points

Based on the example of 6Dg type diesel locomotives, the paper presents a new maintenance strategy concerning periodical checks at the P1 maintenance level. Currently, such locomotives are sent off to service points every 102 hours of operation or every 14 days for a P1 level check. Studies demonstrate that the average distance to be covered by a locomotive to arrive at a service point is in excess of 60.0 km, and the quantity of fuel consumed is more than 88 litres. It is costly and time consuming to have locomotives out of service and considerable resources of the railway carrier are engaged which could be made use of in the transport process. The aim of the newly developed strategy of P1 checks is to eliminate the need for locomotives to exit their routes to reach rolling stock maintenance points. The control/diagnostic and maintenance activities specified in the Maintenance System Documentation will be performed by so-called mobile maintenance points. The development of the new strategy required: identification of the current condition of the maintenance system, development of the concept of a new strategy of P1 maintenance checks, conduct of studies and operational analyses for SM42 series locomotives, performance of a durability, reliability analysis, assessment of safety together with an analysis of the risks involved in the proposed changes. In order to review and assess the efficiency of the new strategy, an observed operation of selected locomotives was conducted together with a railway carrier. During the study, the maintenance activities and processes were monitored and the costs of P1 checks were recorded. The analysis of efficiency of the new strategy of performing P1 checks without the need for a locomotive to exit its route to reach a rolling stock maintenance point demonstrated that depending on the distance covered by the locomotive to reach a maintenance point, the unit costs of a P1 level check are lower by up to 67.1% compared with the currently applied method.

Usability in computerized mobile assistance solutions

The awareness of the importance of system usability is in a constant boosting. Considering usability has been more and more recognised as one of the indispensable quality factors in the success of an interactive system. This paper explores in this direction the importance of usability in context-aware user interface design for computerised mobile maintenance solutions. We propose a methodology for incorporating contextualised usability requirements in the development process of mobile applications in industrial maintenance sector. An illustrative case study is presented in a typical industrial environment to validate our proposal. Finally, an experimental evaluation was conducted with end users to evaluate our proposal.

Usability in computerised mobile assistance solutions

The awareness of the importance of system usability is in a constant boosting. Considering usability has been more and more recognised as one of the indispensable quality factors in the success of an interactive system. This paper explores in this direction the importance of usability in context-aware user interface design for computerised mobile maintenance solutions. We propose a methodology for incorporating contextualised usability requirements in the development process of mobile applications in industrial maintenance sector. An illustrative case study is presented in a typical industrial environment to validate our proposal. Finally, an experimental evaluation was conducted with end users to evaluate our proposal.

Fault Diagnosis Technology of Intelligent Substation UPFC System Based on Abnormal Sub-module Port Voltage

Unified power flow controller (UPFC) combines the advantages of FACTS devices of series and parallel, which is an important direction for the development of intelligent substations in the future. However, a large number of MMC submodules have become potential fault points of UPFC system. The rapid judgment of fault state and accurate positioning of fault sub-modules are the primary conditions to ensure the safe and stable operation of UPFC system, which can effectively reduce the mobile operation and maintenance time of power engineering operation and maintenance personnel, and guarantee the safety of operation and maintenance. Therefore, this paper proposes a fault diagnosis technology of intelligent substation UPFC system based on abnormal sub-module port voltage (SPVE). Experimental results show that the SPVE method has advantages in identification accuracy and rapidity.

Research on TD-LTE Technology Applied to the Monitoring and Control System for the Photovoltaic Power Station

According to the development status of photovoltaic power station, this paper expatiates the requirements of the monitoring and control system and presents the method of TD-LTE technology applied to the system. This paper analyses the architecture of the monitoring and control system, and the technical characteristics of TD-LTE network, which can effectively solve the photovoltaic power station data acquisition, video surveillance, mobile maintenance and other business communications problems, and provide an effective broadband wireless private network communications solutions. The whole system is flexible, reliable, and will promote the efficiency of operation and maintenance of large-scale photovoltaic power station.

“Power to the workers”

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to reveal how information and communication technology (ICT) can empower shop floor workers in collaborative manufacturing environments.Design/methodology/approachThe authors gather data from a mobile maintenance department of a steel manufacturing company and apply the method of a scenario-based design. The authors use data from interviews, observations and company documents to create problem and activity scenarios. The authors also demonstrate the development of a worker-centric digital design in multiple demonstration and evaluation cycles.FindingsThe authors find that ICT can be used to ensure that empowerment is not only a concept, but can sustainably empower daily operations.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors contribute to theory by showing how structural empowerment can be used as a guiding theoretical lens to design ICT for shop floor workers in collaborative manufacturing work environments. These implications are limited to findings from a single case study.Practical implicationsThe results provide an overview of different empowerment dimensions, namely, the access to information, resources, support and opportunities, that can support employees in collaborative manufacturing environments.Originality/valueThis paper is first in suggesting a framework of how ICT designs can be used to empower shop floor workers in collaborative manufacturing environments.

MOBILE CENTRES OF AIR DEFENCE WEAPONS, MILITARY AND SPECIAL EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR

A modern fleet of the air defence weapons, military and special equipment (AD WMSE) includes a large complex of the AD WME of different types allotted on a vast territory of the Russian Federation and outside. The AD WMSE systems differ not only by their intended use and performance specification but also by a complex of operational characteristics which require different approaches to organization of their operations engineering. The required level of the AD WMSE technical readiness is kept by organizing their maintenance and repair with involvement of resources which belong to service industrial enterprises and their mobile maintenance team. However, existing approaches to the AD WMSE operations engineering based on fixed-site service centres and maintenance organizations are not always effective. Due to this, this article considers options of creating and applying multifaceted mobile maintenance centres operatively organized based on the set of the unified mobile organizational repair systems developed by JSC The Main Technological and Industrial Enterprise Granit.

Fatigue Analysis of Mobile Maintenance Platform Based on Ansys Workbench

In order to investigate the performance of the mobile maintenance platform, Ansys Workbench was used to analyze the strength analysis of the mobile maintenance platform. The deformation, stress, and strain were obtained. The fatigue module was used to analyze the fatigue of the mobile maintenance platform and the fatigue life based on the cumulative fatigue damage theory. The simulation results show that the strength of the mobile maintenance platform is sufficient, and its lifetime is as high as 19.8 years. The mobile maintenance platform has a large space for optimization and this paper provides a basis for future structural optimization design.

Machine-Tractor Aggregates Operation Assurance by Mobile Maintenance Teams

operability of machine-tractor aggregates (MTA) is ensured by purposeful activity of maintenance and repair performers. MTAs operation assurance can provide achievement of absolutely different goals. For further development of technical service formation concept concretization in the part of determining locations of maintenance and repair performers and their area of expertise is suggested, as well as of arising peculiarities of equipment. The theoretical task is reduced to the type of tasks of distribution of recourses or transportation tasks. Mobile maintenance teams of regional agricultural equipment manufacturers’ dealers have experience of technical service performance. The formed stream of requests from agricultural plants determines the direction of correcting of existing theoretical provisions, confirming necessity of further development of centralized method of technical service by efforts and means of manufacturers’ dealers.

Factors enhancing mobile social networking friendship maintenance: a study of alumni community on Wechat

This study aims to shed light on the influence of the factors (social presence, nostalgia, gratification opportunities and sense of virtual community) on users’ gratification of social connection needs and friendship maintenance under the context of group chatting community via mobile instant messaging application Wechat. Questionnaire survey was conducted with data collected from internet and then statistical analysis with SmartPLS was conducted to test the research model developed. The results showed that all of the factors (nostalgia, gratification opportunities and sense of virtual community) except social presence have positive effects on gratification of social connection needs and friendship maintenance. Therefore, it is important for social science researchers and businesses to have deep understandings of the Wechat users’ psychological and behavioral features in mobile internet era and this research will provide valuable experimental evidences for understanding the economy in mobile internet and contribute to the related scientific research.

Design of Mobile Operation and Maintenance System Based on Power GIS and GPS

In order to solve the low efficiency of operation and maintenance and the problems of management coordination caused by the coexistence of off-line operation and maintenance and multi system coexistence in current power telecommunication operation and maintenance, this paper proposes a mobile operation and maintenance system based on power GIS and GPS location technology. The system is based on the C/S architecture, and the mobile operation and maintenance terminal is connected with the operation and maintenance management terminal through wireless and wired network. In addition to meeting basic business requirements, the system integrates power GIS functions to visually demonstrate communication resources, personnel, and failures. The staff can use the wireless mobile terminal which integrated GPS module for to operate and maintain, and can locate accurately in real time.

Influence of Truck-Mounted Radar Speed Signs in Controlling Vehicle Speed for Mobile Maintenance Operations: Oregon Case Study

Radar speed signs (RSSs) are a measure for reducing traffic flow speeds through work zones. The influence of truck-mounted RSSs on vehicle speed was evaluated for mobile maintenance operations in two multilane maintenance work zones in Oregon. In each case study, two periods of testing were conducted: one with the RSS display turned on (treatment) and one without the RSS display turned on (control), and vehicle speeds were recorded. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize collected data, and a two-sample t-test was applied to each case study to compare the speed difference between control and treatment cases. The findings indicate that vehicle speeds are typically lower and that there is less variation in speeds between adjacent vehicles with the RSS turned on. RSSs are thus promising devices for controlling vehicle speed and making work zones safer for motorists and workers.

OEE enhancement in SMEs through mobile maintenance: a TPM concept

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce mobile maintenance a new concept of total productive maintenance (TPM) implementation practice, especially in small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs). This study tries to introduce this new concept for SMEs in SMEs to help traditional maintenance program which is already available in particular industries. Design/methodology/approach – The approach is to study the role of mobile maintenance (a part of TPM program) in context of Indian industries either from small and medium scale to large scale industries through overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Findings – Researchers evolutes a new maintenance concept of TPM implementation practice as mobile maintenance concept in SMEs for enhancing OEE of equipments to improve competitiveness of SMEs in a globalized market. This mobile maintenance strategy can reduce major breakdowns, setup and adjustment losses and improve productivity, product quality and OEE of equipments. Research limitations/implications – In the dynamic and highly challenging environment, reliable manufacturing equipments are regarded as the major contributor to the performance and profitability of manufacturing systems. A researcher has found that some SMEs of Banmore industrial areas is also using mobile maintenance and preventive maintenance along with traditional maintenance process and getting improvements in the maintenance process as well as machine reliability and OEE of equipments. After the globalization of market, SMEs has got many opportunities to work on integration with large-scale organizations. Originality/value – It will be very benefitted for the Indian SMEs. SMEs can improve machine availability and OEE by implementing this mobile maintenance concept especially in SMEs.