Setting Specified Failure Modes Equals Prolonging Equipment Life

Almost anything can be broken down into smaller components and this is especially helpful in terms of discussing plant equipment and plant processes. The first step to determining failure modes is to think of a system or piece of equipment (down to seals and o-rings) as existing on separate levels to isolate where we think the components may be failing. This methodology ensures that every level of a process or equipment composition is examined for failure modes.

Consider this statement: One of the failure modes of an electric motor is that the windings and insulation fail due to high temperature as a result of friction within its individual parts, ie. pistons, gasket seals, etc. How high of a temperature causes the motor windings insulation to fail? If we look at the failure rate of motor insulation, we find that for every 20 degree Fahrenheit rise in temperature, the insulation life is cut in half. From this, we can conclude that the insulation in a motor that operates at 160 degrees F continuously will have a very high risk of failure between one and two years under normal operating conditions.

As an example, temperatures of motor and windings increase and consequently the life of the winding component is reduced by 50 percent or more in textile and oilseeds plants where the fan guard on the motor is covered with product. By understanding the failure rate of often found components like specialty seals, we can many times make changes to operations or preventive maintenance tasks in order to increase the life of the system. If you also understand that electric motors have more than 50 failure modes, you can start to see how some components such as high performance seals can last many life cycles more by changing the way we operate and maintain our equipment. This thinking process never ends. Let’s say we have a bearing that is failing early due to lubrication.

There are 50 failure modes for your lube products. We have to eliminate many of these failures in order to achieve maximum life from the bearing. All lubricant failure modes can be eliminated and can add three to 10 times the life to the component. Then, we must understand that some of the bearing failures occur at the bearing distributor. Many bearing distributors and local stores don’t even have written procedures on how your bearings are handled, so damage occurs that may not be noticeable when you receive them at your plant. Failure modes for bearings occur at a higher rate of frequency in general.

When a sufficient number of failure modes can be identified and eliminated, many components in most industrial plants can last up to 10 to 20 times what they presently do. If we want to compete in the world marketplace, we need to get the training in RCM and RCA to be in that competitive group that will have a chance to stay in business and make a profit. The key is identifying training processes that improve knowledge and take companies to the next level. For additional information, visit www.real-seal.com/ to learn more.