In a past article,1 I mentioned that in the world of reliability, risk can be defined as the probability of failure multiplied by the consequence(s) of failure. This simple definition should be a reliability team’s most important daily metric. In this editorial, a two-dimensional matrix is proposed that serves as a real-time moving picture of the health of plant assets (Figure 1).

I don’t manage an in-plant machinery reliability team at Noria (we have no machines), but if I did, I would want to see this matrix at the beginning and end of each day. I would want it to serve as my reliability command post in planning and scheduling maintenance work orders and related activities.

Let’s call it the Risk Management Grid (RMG) for production assets. Its singular purpose is to characterize composite asset risk factors associated with failure probability and consequence. It provides a revealing cross-sectional view of current reliability conditions and leaves a visible trail of the past to analyze and prescribe future proactive improvement initiatives.

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Costly particulate contamination slowly degrades and jams machine components causing product defects, shorter machine life., increased production downtime and decreased energy efficiency. Even the smallest amount of water, or the most microscopic particles, can ·eventually grind a machine to a halt. Yet, maintenance has historically been a ·reactive type activity .. When a machine breaks down, maintenance personnel give the failed components the “4R Treatment”- that is remove, repair, rebuild and/or replace. When evidence suggests that material degradation and/or deterioration is taking place at an accelerated rate, the cause has been determined and. action taken to correct the problem. In today’s world when there are increasingly complex- systems., maintenance personnel must supplement such traditional reactive maintenance Practices with proactive methods that can identify aberrant root causes of failure long before materials or component performance degradation occurs. No maintenance discipline has previously taken the micro view on machine damage concentrating on the· causes instead of the symptoms of wear. Proactive maintenance is that discipline, and it is quickly being recognized worldwide as the most important means of extending machine life.

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Oil contamination can be defined as any foreign material found in the lubricant which is not added by design. Usually, contaminants are not beneficial and may even be detrimental to the performance of the oil and/or operating machinery. Contamination is the root cause of a high proportion of machine and lubricant degradation and failure. Often overlooked as a source of failure because its impact is usually slow and imperceptible, contamination is both a significant threat to reliability and quality efforts but at the same time also an opportunity, because improvements are very attainable. Research on an array of fluid dependent machinery, such as bearings and rotating equipment, hydraulic systems, gearboxes, diesel engines, turbines, clearly supports the idea that very often machine reliability is a function of contamination control.

Particles, moisture, heat, air, glycol and fuel are all contaminants found in industrial lubricants. Particles and moisture are especially common and typically present the greatest risk to machine reliability and lubricant performance. Particles and moisture, either acting alone or in unison, lead to fluid oxidation, additive depletion, viscosity failure and loss of lubricity, especially where heat is present. Once the fluid’s lubricating qualities are degraded they no longer provide the ‘cushion’ between moving machine surfaces. Because the fluid can no longer perform as it was designed, wear and ultimate failure ensue.

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Lubrication requires constant attention. Vigilance is perhaps a better word. It’s easy to forget the things we are not motivated to do. Yet, rarely do we forget those activities we are passionate about and desire to do. We are all driven by animal instincts to seek out the things that we enjoy or which give us a gratifying reward.

Because it’s hard to find happiness in performing most routine maintenance tasks, it’s not uncommon for many of them to become periodically forgotten or perpetually postponed. Much of this is actually “conscious forgetfulness”, similar to procrastinating. Why does this happen? It is most likely due to a lack of rigor which is due to a lack of structure, measurement and incentive.

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