20.1.7 Limits to the Application of Condition Monitoring
When incipiency intervals are long (e.g. weeks, months, or years), it is possible to
assess the change in performance (condition monitoring), either through instruments
or human senses, so as to plan a replacement before equipment failure. Of course, if
the incipiency interval is very short, there would be little time available to plan or
implement any maintenance action is also very small. Thus, for a failure to lend itself
to condition monitoring, it must exhibit incipiency of a suitable duration which can
be measured.
It follows, from the above, that hidden or unrevealed failures cannot be
monitored.
20.1.8 Desirable Infrastructure Design Quality
A well-designed infrastructure, if provided with some distinct features, comprising,
inter alia, those below, will greatly help towards maintenance requirements.
Basically:
(1) the equipment should be able to produce products of the desired quality
consistently;
(2) the production rate is satisfactory;
(3) the production process is efficient;
(4) the network and equipment are easy to operate;
(5) the equipment is easy to maintain;
Range of deviation
Slow
Normal
Rapid
Acceptance Level
Time
Condition
Fig. 20.6 Variations in incipiency intervals
570
20 Human Resources Management for Infrastructure