1

1
Introduction to Maintainability
The concept of maintainability encompasses:
An operational measure of effectiveness
A characteristic of design
An engineering specialty that supports design
A cost driver
A planned activity in each stage of product life-cycle
2
Introduction (cont)
Maintainability - is the ability of an item to be maintained; this
ability stems from the aggregate of all design features which
promote serviceability.
Maintenance - is a series of actions of appropriate character
(content, timing, quality) to restore or retain an item in an
operational state.
Contrast:
Reliability is time to failure, probability of no failure
Maintainability is time to diagnose and repair a fail ure or time
to prevent future failure
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3
Maintainability is Inherently a Probabilistic
Measure
Detection, diagnosis, repair, check-out all involve uncertainty
Human skill and learning are involved
Differences due to individuals
Differences due to experience
Consider other definitions of maintainability:
The probability that:
Item will be restored to operational status in T hours
Maintenance will not be required more than X times per time
period
Maintenance cost will not exceed $Z per time period
4
Maintainability in the System
Life-Cycle
The Maintainability Plan is developed during conceptual
design, reviewed internally and by customer, and includes:
Functions to be performed (p.391-393)
Standards/ Procedures/ models to be used
Schedule
Documents/ Reports
Organization, responsibilities, interfaces within your
company and with customer, supplier
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5
Maintainability in the System Life-Cycle
The Systems Engineering Plan has a major section devoted
to integration of the engineering specialties into the design
process. The SE is responsible for assuring adequate
participation, influence, visibility, etc. is granted to
maintainability, and others.
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Qualitative Maintainability Measures
Especially important early in design when limited data exist
Examples:
Skill level reduction
Ease of access
Simplicity of task
Identification, markings, coding
Standardization
Safety during maintenance
Clearly written, easy to follow instructions
Ease of fault isolation
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7
Qualitative Maintainability Measures(cont)
Some ways these get incorporated into design
Management emphasis
Experienced maintenance chiefs on each team
Checklists (see handout)
Degree to which quantitative measures/ models are
sensitive to these
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Quantitative Measures of Maintainability
Maintenance Elapsed-Time Factors
Mean Corrective Maintenance Time
(MTTR)
Mean Preventative Maintenance Time
Median Corrective Maintenance Time
Median Preventative Maintenance Time
Mean Active Maintenance Time
ct
M
pt
M
ct
M
~
pt
M
~
M
5
9
Quantitative Measures of Maintainability
Maintenance Labor-Hour Factors
Maintenance labor-hours per operating cycle
Maintenance labor-hours per cycle
Maintenance labor-hours per month
Maintenance labor-hours per maintenance action
Maintenance Frequency Factors
Meantime between maintenance = MTBM
Unscheduled (corrective) and Scheduled ( preventive)
Meantime between replacement = MTBR
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Maintainability Function
Definition: Let T = Repair Time Random Variable. The
Maintainability Function M(t) is defined by M(t) = P(Tt)
Example: Suppose T is exponential with repair rate .
Mean time to repair:

1
MTTR
MTTR
t
t
e e t M

1 1 ) (

6
11
Other Distributions Used
Normal - Simple, remove and plug in.
Lognormal - complex repair; multiplicative degradation
model.
Weibull - Variety of situationsmost versatile. A
generalization of the exponential, which has constant
failure rate. Often used for worst linkor first of many
flaws to produce a failure.
12
Properties of Weibull Distribution
Invented in 1951; tried to create
Set, , controls shape of h(t),
Then,

Adjoin a third shift parameter 0, which shifts left

endpoint of range of distribution:[j+]. Require >0
0 , ) ( t at t h
b

H t ( )
( )

t
( )
1
t
) (
) (




dt
t dH
t h
F t e e e
Ht
t
( ) ,
( )

_
,
1 1 1
1

t

=1 is exponential
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13
Properties of Weibull Distribution(cont)
Final Result
h t
t
F t e
MTTR or MTBF
t y e dy M
t
t y
( )
( )
( )
( )

ln

( )
( )

+ ( ) +
( ) +
( )

_
,

_
,

1
1
0
1
1
1
1
2
R(t) e


-
t -
-

14
How Controls Shape of h(t) For Weibull
Distribution

This is a handout
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15
Weibull Closure Property
Recall for n exponential-life components with rates
and a series system
If a series system has:
n independent parts, each Weibull with the same
n
,..., ,
2 1
s i
i
n

1
n
n

1
,...,
1
,
1
2
2
1
1

The respective characteristic lives
16
Weibull Closure Property(cont)
Then
System Lifetime Distribution is Weibull with shape
parameter
and,

s i
i
n
s i
i
n

_
,

_
,

1
1
1
1
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Example
5 Hoses in an Engine Cooling System have =1.8,
Respective 1= 95, 2= 110, 3=130, 4=130, 5=150
months, then

O
s
+ + +

_
,


+

_
,

1
95
1
110
1
130
1
150
48 6
39 6
43 2
1 8 1 8 1 8 1 8
1
1 8
. . . .
.
.

.
.
months
R 48.6(ln2) months
MTBF 48.6 1
1
1.8
1
1.8

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Properties of Lognormal Distribution
Definition - X is lognormal with range space (0, + ),
parameters and IFF Y= ln X, is normal with parameters
and
Mode of X at
Median of X at
Mean of X at
Variation of X is
2
y y
e x

y
u
e x
2
2
1
y y
e
x

x
e e
y y y 2
2 1
2 2

( )
+
10
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Properties of Lognormal Distribution (cont)
Properties
1.
2. If Xj, j=1,,n are lognormal and independent,
then the geometric mean is lognormal

If X lognormal X lognormal
1 y1 2 y2
, , ,
y y 1
2
2
2
( ) ( )
2 1 2 1
X * X then W t; independen X , X and
( )
2
2
2
1 2 y1
, with lognormal is
y y y
+ +
( )
2
,
y y

x
j
j
n n

_
,

1
1

y
y
n
,
2

_
,

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Example 1 pp.395-398
Assumes normal
Takes , s to be ,. Is this ok ?
Whats wrong with equation 14.1 ?
X
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Example 2
Suppose n Components in series, each exponential with I failure
rate for component I; Let Mcti= time to repair system when ith
component fails. Then for system is estimated
by (14.2)
If there are of type i in the system, then use:
MTTR M
ct

M
X M
ct
i cti
i
n
i
i
n

1
1

M
n M
n
ct
i i cti
i
n
i i
i
n

1
1
Repair time/unit time
System failure/unit time
Repair time
per failure
n
i
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Example 2 (cont)
i n . *10 hrs M (hr) Repair Time per 10 hr
Assemblies Components n M
1 4 10 .1 4.0
2 6 5 .2 6.0
3 2 8 1.0 16.0
4 1 15 .8 7.5
5 5 12 .5 30.5
161 63.5
MTTR
63.5
161

i i
3
cti
3
i i cti

0 394 . hours
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Mean Preventative Maintenance Time
Includes
Inspection
Servicing, Cleaning
Replacements
Calibration
Overhaul
M
fpt M
fpt
pt
i pti
i
n
i
i
n

( )(
( )
)
1
1
Where fpti = frequency of the ith
preventive maintenance
action
Mpti = elapsed time for
ith preventive maintenance
action
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Median (Active) Corrective Maintenance
Time
For sample of size n on Mct for one component
For m classes of corrective maintenance on system, with
respective failure rates i

ln
M e
ct
M
cti
i
n
n

1
]
1
1
1
1
1
1

ln
M e
ct
M
i cti
i
m
i
i
m

1
]
1
1
1
1
1

1
1
Note: It is possible to do the
computations using log10

versus 10 versus e
x x
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Median (Active) Preventative Maintenance
Time

ln
M e
pt
fpt M
fpt
i pti
i
n
i
i
n

( )
( )

1
]
1
1
1
1
1

1
1
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Mean (Active) Maintenance Time
= Overall Corrective Maintenance Rate
fpt = Preventive Maintenace Rate
fpt
M fpt M
M
pt ct
+
+

i
fpt
i
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27
Maximum(Active) Corrective Maintenance
Time
M e
M
n
Z
cti
i
n
y
max
ln

1
]
1
1
1
1
1
1

Where;

y y
cti
cti
S
M
M
n
n

( )
( )
[ ]

2
2
2
1


ln
ln
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Other Maintenance Elapsed-Time Measures
Logistics delay time (LDT), waiting for
facility, equipment
Spare part
Tool
Transport
Administrative delay time (ADT)
Organizational (people, paper, priorities, etc)
Non-physical
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29
Other Maintenance Elapsed-Time
Measures(cont)
Maintenance Downtime (MDT)
MDT = +LDT+ADT

where i= frequency of respective action/ delay

M
3 2 1
3 2 1


+ +
+ +

T D A T D L M
T D M
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Maintenance Labor Hour Factors
Together with skill levels and their day rates, these factors
determine labor cost of maintenance and number in each
skill level per maintenance facility
MLH/OH
MLH/cycle
MLH/month
MLH/MA
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31
Maintenance Labor Hour Factors(cont)
Any of above can be expressed as average over all
subsystems
Can apply to corrective, preventive, pr total active
Can apply to total maintenance downtime
Conceptually, want to select skill levels and maintenance
difficulty to minimize maintenance costs
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Maintenance Frequency Factors
Meantime Between Maintenance (MTBM)
MTBMu is approximately MTBF, the
reliability factor, although in general
MTBF MTBMu
s u
MTBM MTBM
MTBM
1 1
1
+

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33
Maintenance Frequency Factors(cont)
Meantime Between Replacement (MTBR)
A part, component, or a subsystem must be replaced by
a spare part from inventory. Major link between
maintenance actions and logistics support system