Reliability is a crucial concept in maintenance management that every professional should understand. It refers to the frequency of failures an equipment experiences over time.
A reliable equipment is one that does not fail, while an unreliable one is prone to constant breakdowns. Despite good design, assembly, maintenance, installation, and operation conditions, some equipment may still fail.
The quality of equipment is closely related to its reliability. A low-quality equipment will likely have poor reliability, as quality is measured by user satisfaction when using a product.
Hence, reliability is the probability that an equipment will perform its functions correctly during a specific period under normal operating conditions.
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KEY CONCEPTS
To clarify this definition, we will talk about some key concepts
Probability
Probability is a mathematical concept used to calculate the likelihood of a random event occurring. It involves dividing the number of times the event occurs by the total number of possible outcomes.
For instance, if the probability of winning the lottery in a month is 10%, it means that if you play the lottery 10 times in a month, you can expect to win it once.
Optimal performance
To ensure optimal equipment operation, it’s important to establish specific criteria that the equipment must meet. These criteria can be either qualitative or quantitative, and are typically outlined in the equipment’s specifications.
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It’s essential to clearly identify when the equipment fails to meet these criteria and doesn’t perform its intended functions effectively.
Period
In terms of reliability, the duration of equipment operation is a defining factor. This duration is not necessarily defined by a specific time frame, as it can be a random variable that depends on the type of equipment.
The measurement of these periods is based on the equipment’s control variable, such as hours, days, kilometers, lots, or units produced
Operation conditions
To ensure optimal equipment performance, it is essential to consider external factors such as environmental conditions, vibrations, operating speed, location, and other related factors.
IMPORTANCE OF RELIABILITY IN MAINTENANCE
Effective maintenance management is key to maintaining optimal equipment reliability. A crucial aspect of maintenance management is the asset reliability indicator, which enables evaluations of the performance of each equipment and informs decisions on maintenance strategies.
The reliability indicator provides important data on the distribution of equipment failures under various working conditions.
This data can then be used to identify areas of improvement and optimize maintenance activities. Ultimately, the better the maintenance management, the higher the reliability of the equipment.
