influence its performance and its deterioration rate.
Examples of such equipment operating conditions include:
(1) Does it operate at full load frequently?
(2) What is the external operating environment – hot/cold climate, clear/dusty
atmosphere?
(3) Is its performance influenced by the internal environment?
(4) Does operation start suddenly or gradually?
(5) Is there a standby unit, as in Fig. 20.1 (cases 2 or 3)?
The answers to this type of questions will help define the operating context.
A car driver who speeds up his car gradually to a steady 60 km/h and uses his
brakes sparingly will have a less worn out car than he drives it roughly to accelerate
and then applies hard on the brakes, screeching his tyres around corners, etc. for the
same distance driven. Similar, equipment wear and tear is affected by the operating
conditions, both internal and external.
20.2.2 The Feedback Control Model
A car driver uses his senses while driving. His eyes estimates the position and
direction of the vehicle with respect to the roads, any pedestrians and other vehicles,
while he may also listen to noise made by other vehicles, ambulances, etc. The
information or data received from his senses are channelled to his brain, processed
and corrective action taken with respect to the traffic code, and other accepted rules.
There is, in fact, a feedback control system which prevents the driver from going off
the road and running into other vehicles, etc.
Similarly, equipment are often designed with feedback control systems to ensure
smooth running.
20.2.3 Life Without Failure
Higher reliability implies fewer failures. What if there were no failures at all?
A good designer will always attempt to design a product or offer a service which
is highly reliable, subject to the given technical and economic constraints.
If car tyres did not encounter road resistance, the car would probably need very
little energy to run, but would be difficult to stop as well. A lack of resistance or
opposition may create an energy-efficient process, but control is more difficult.
The same approach might be applied to compare democracies against dictatorships, or to explain why market forces are superior to price controls. Thus, from this
perspective, failures are useful, as they can enable identifying deviances from
expected performance, thereby providing a scope for improvement.
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Examples of such equipment operating conditions include:
(1) Does it operate at full load frequently?
(2) What is the external operating environment – hot/cold climate, clear/dusty
atmosphere?
(3) Is its performance influenced by the internal environment?
(4) Does operation start suddenly or gradually?
(5) Is there a standby unit, as in Fig. 20.1 (cases 2 or 3)?
The answers to this type of questions will help define the operating context.
A car driver who speeds up his car gradually to a steady 60 km/h and uses his
brakes sparingly will have a less worn out car than he drives it roughly to accelerate
and then applies hard on the brakes, screeching his tyres around corners, etc. for the
same distance driven. Similar, equipment wear and tear is affected by the operating
conditions, both internal and external.
20.2.2 The Feedback Control Model
A car driver uses his senses while driving. His eyes estimates the position and
direction of the vehicle with respect to the roads, any pedestrians and other vehicles,
while he may also listen to noise made by other vehicles, ambulances, etc. The
information or data received from his senses are channelled to his brain, processed
and corrective action taken with respect to the traffic code, and other accepted rules.
There is, in fact, a feedback control system which prevents the driver from going off
the road and running into other vehicles, etc.
Similarly, equipment are often designed with feedback control systems to ensure
smooth running.
20.2.3 Life Without Failure
Higher reliability implies fewer failures. What if there were no failures at all?
A good designer will always attempt to design a product or offer a service which
is highly reliable, subject to the given technical and economic constraints.
If car tyres did not encounter road resistance, the car would probably need very
little energy to run, but would be difficult to stop as well. A lack of resistance or
opposition may create an energy-efficient process, but control is more difficult.
The same approach might be applied to compare democracies against dictatorships, or to explain why market forces are superior to price controls. Thus, from this
perspective, failures are useful, as they can enable identifying deviances from
expected performance, thereby providing a scope for improvement.
572
20 Human Resources Management for Infrastructure