Failure Characteristics Of Systems Research Articles

Method for investigating closed-loop hydraulic transmission with accumulator maintenance of overpressure in the suction line of a pump

The aim of the study is to verify the operability, reliability and functionality of a closed-loop hydrostatic transmission, which enhances the durability of the hydraulic drive by isolating the working fluid from atmospheric air and maintaining excess pressure at the pump inlet. The selected research object is a closed-loop hydrostatic transmission configuration, where drain leakage return is carried out by an ejector pump, while a hydropneumatic accumulator serves as a closed hydraulic reservoir that maintains excess pressure. Theoretical relationships for the designed components of the hydraulic system were derived using mathematical modelling by equations of normal dimensionless hydraulic numbers and a Microsoft Excel package. Design methods of continuity and modification were applied to construct the test bench. Based on existing research, the influence of various contaminants on the system failure characteristics was determined, and the positive effect of the purity of the working fluid on the durability and reliability of the hydraulic drive was highlighted. An overview of existing open, combined open-closed and closed hydrostatic transmissions revealed their disadvantages in terms of ensuring fluid purity. A proposed hydraulic schematic formed the basis for designing and manufacturing a test stand for investigating the closed-loop hydrostatic transmission. Criteria for selecting the pneumatic-hydraulic accumulator were defined, and a methodology for calculating parameters was substantiated. A versatile design of the ejector pump, operating under various flow pressure conditions, was developed, including replaceable components for the flow section (nozzles, mixing chambers, throats and confusers). The test program and methodology involve four test algorithms: stand preparation, tests without drain leakage, tests with maximum allowable drain leakage, and tests with intermediate drain leakage volumes, resulting in a total of one hundred sixty experiments. This study allows the feasibility of applying the presented closed-loop hydrostatic transmission in various types of machinery to be assessed.

Failures Mapping for Aircraft Electrical Actuation System Health Management

This paper presents the different types of failure that may occur in flight control electrical actuation systems. Within an aircraft, actuation systems are essential to deliver physical actions. Large actuators operate the landing gears and small actuators adjust passenger seats. As developing, aircraft systems have become more electrical to reduce the weight and complexity of hydraulic circuits, which could improve fuel efficiency and lower NOx emissions. Electrical Actuation (EA) are one of those newly electrified systems. It can be categorized into two types, Electro-Hydraulic Actuation (EHA) and Electro-Mechanical Actuation (EMA) systems. Emerging electric and hydrogen fuel aircraft will rely on all-electric actuation. While electrical actuation seems simpler than hydraulic at the systems level, the subsystems and components are more varied and complex. The aim of the overall project is to develop a highly representative Digital Twin (DT) for predictive maintenance of electrical flight control systems. A comprehensive understanding of actuation system failure characteristics is fundamental for effective design and maintenance. This research focuses on the flight control systems including the ailerons, rudders, flaps, spoilers, and related systems. The study uses the Cranfield University Boeing 737 as the basis to elaborate the different types of actuators in the flight control system. The Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) provides a baseline for current maintenance practices, effort, and costs. Equivalent EHA and EMA to replace the 737 systems are evaluated. In this paper, the components and their failure characteristics are elaborated in a matrix. The approach to model these characteristics in DT for aircraft flight control system health management is discussed. This paper contributes to the design, operation and support of aircraft systems.

Failure characterization of solid structures based on an equivalence of cohesive zone model

Cohesive zone models have been widely used to model interface crack initiation and propagation both in single-material media and bi-material systems. For single-material media with cohesive elements inserted into interface among segments, in order to ensure that the introduction of interface cohesive zone models does not affect the mechanical properties of single-material media before the softening stage of cohesive zone models, a selection criterion of stiffness of cohesive elements is proposed theoretically firstly based on the properties’ equivalence. Taking the softening stage into account, the mechanical responses of the overall stress-strain relationship of single-material media, for the cases of stable increase of strain and snap-back instability of strain, are both obtained, and the related energy mechanism are investigated. For bi-material systems with cohesive elements at interface between two materials, the thickness-dependent failure characteristics of systems in uniaxial tension are found, which is attributed to the difference of the releasing rate of elastic strain energy in the materials with different thicknesses. Furthermore, as a more complex application of cohesive elements, based on the selection criterion proposed, failure behaviors of the ceramic coating/substrate systems under three-point bending are modeled by finite element method and inserting cohesive elements into the coating segments and the coating/substrate interface simultaneously. The simulation results indicate the transition of dominated failure mode from coating cracking to interface delamination with increasing coating thickness, and show faster damage of thick coating systems, agreeing with experimental results. The effects of interface strength and toughness of cohesive elements on failure are also revealed. These results can provide guidance for the application of cohesive elements, and help us better understand the overall failure behaviors of interface systems.

Design for reliability of automotive systems; case study of dry friction clutch

Design and production of highly reliable and safer automotive systems with longer life has been a challenge. The pressure is outcome of high competitive market and recent safety issues of reputable car manufacturers. In this paper, an integrated methodology is proposed based on design for reliability of automotive systems and considering its reliability/safety critical sub-systems. In the proposed approach, the FMEA results are used in the process of failure mode/mechanism identification. The basic failure data, mostly obtained from generic databases, are adjusted by multiplicative corrective factors to account for the design and environment impacts on system failure characteristics. The system is modeled by reliability block diagram method, simulated by Monte Carlo technique. The results of FMEA and reliability evaluation are used for system improvement by reducing the components’ failure rates and potential change of system configuration. The components’ reliability is improved by increasing the quality of components by utilization of high quality materials and modern manufacturing techniques. Modification of system configuration, e.g., adding redundancy, is an alternative for system reliability improvement in some cases. The results show that the friction lining component is the most critical elements in terms of reliability importance. After completion of this phase, an assessment is done for system reliability by comparing the system reliability targets. As a case study, dry friction clutch is studied for assessment of the proposed method. In this study, the life test requirement is researched for each component using a reliability testing techniques. Finally, the uncertainties are computed associated with the failure data and final reliability estimations and the results were presented with a confidence interval.

Semiparametric Bayesian optimal replacement policies: application to railroad tracks

We present a Bayesian decision theoretic approach for developing replacement strategies. In so doing, we consider a semiparametric model to describe the failure characteristics of systems by specifying a nonparametric form for cumulative intensity function and by taking into account effect of covariates by a parametric form. Use of a gamma process prior for the cumulative intensity function complicates the Bayesian analysis when the updating is based on failure count data. We develop a Bayesian analysis of the model using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods and determine replacement strategies. Adoption of Markov chain Monte Carlo methods involves a data augmentation algorithm. We show the implementation of our approach using actual data from railroad tracks. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Value maximizing maintenance policies under general repair

One class of maintenance optimization problems considers the notion of general repair maintenance policies where systems are repaired or replaced on failure. In each case the optimality is based on minimizing the total maintenance cost of the system. These cost-centric optimizations ignore the value dimension of maintenance and can lead to maintenance strategies that do not maximize system value. This paper applies these ideas to the general repair optimization problem using a semi-Markov decision process, discounted cash flow techniques, and dynamic programming to identify the value-optimal actions for any given time and system condition. The impact of several parameters on maintenance strategy, such as operating cost and revenue, system failure characteristics, repair and replacement costs, and the planning time horizon, is explored.This approach provides a quantitative basis on which to base maintenance strategy decisions that contribute to system value. These decisions are different from those suggested by traditional cost-based approaches. The results show (1) how the optimal action for a given time and condition changes as replacement and repair costs change, and identifies the point at which these costs become too high for profitable system operation; (2) that for shorter planning horizons it is better to repair, since there is no time to reap the benefits of increased operating profit and reliability; (3) how the value-optimal maintenance policy is affected by the system's failure characteristics, and hence whether it is worthwhile to invest in higher reliability; and (4) the impact of the repair level on the optimal maintenance policy.

Analysis of field data on computer failures

This paper emphasizes the importance of making field measurements for effective and realistic dependability evaluations. Two examples are given, both based on real data from IBM mainframes. The first evaluates the impact of the operating environment on system failure characteristics and the second shows how an accurate model depicting this interaction can be extracted from real data.

Cost Optimization of Periodic Preventive Maintenance

Most preventive maintenance(PM) models assume that the hazard function of a system after each PM occurrence is restored to like new or to some specified level. Thus, there is no provision for system degradation with time. Operation of many systems causes stress which results in system degradation and hence an increase in the level of the hazard function with time. PM is assumed to relieve stress temporarily and hence slow the rate of system degradation. However, this type of activity does not reverse degradation; so the hazard function is monotone. A hazard function is developed in this paper consistent with this concept of PM effect. The special case for which PM reduces the operational stress to that of a new system is considered in greater detail (eg, a new system begins operation with the full benefit of a PM activity; each subsequent PM completely restores the benefits). It is shown for this case that the hazard function under PM is approximately a 2-parameter Weibull with shape parameter 2 for systems with strictly increasing hazard without PM. Cost optimization of the PM intervention interval is obtained by determining the average cost-rate of system operation. When the hazard function without PM is unknown, optimization may be achieved through an iterative process. This avoids the necessity of estimating system failure characteristics without PM; such testing can be destructive or use expensive equipment.

How to Hand-Calculate System Reliability and Safety Characteristics

A simple method is given for calculating a) reliability characteristics of repairable and nonrepairable systems, and b) the importance of the individual system components. Assumptions made include independent component failures and constant failure and repair rates for the components. The methods can easily be implemented in a computer program that would be inexpensive to execute and would always overpredict (usually very slightly) the system failure characteristics.

The Hybrid Boost Bearing—A Method of Obtaining Long Life in Rolling Contact Bearing Applications

Abstract A new bearing concept is described which offers the almost unlimited life of the fluid film bearing combined with the free starting, stopping, and oil system failure characteristics of the rolling element bearing. This new bearing type is termed the Hybrid Boost Bearing. It is envisioned as having application in jet engines to extend bearing life, and in land turbine equipment as a means of providing high overload capacity.