RELIABILITY CENTERED

AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE
E

Word count including front page 2,583.

RELIABILITY CENTERED AIRCRAFT

MAINTENANCE

INTRODUCTION:

As technology advanced aircrafts became more complicated or sophisticated an

advanced and logical means of maintenance programs have to be developed and this

evolved in the formation of Maintenance Review board (MRB) of reliability monitoring

system. This assignment is about how a reliability maintenance program is formed for

aircraft air conditioning system. Following is the method for it.

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Name: shyamsundar Mookkiah Eswaran Student ID
08004560
AIR CONDITION SYSTEM:

TYPICAL PRESSURISATION SYSTEM

Name: shyamsundar Mookkiah Eswaran Student ID
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1) ENGINE

2) PRECOOLER

3) AIR CONDITION PACK (AC PACK)

4) NON RETURN VALVE (NRV)

5) WATER INFILTRATION (WI)

6) MANIFOLD RELIEF VALVE (MRV)

7) AUXILARY POWER UNIT (APU)

8) FILTER

9) MAIN SHUT OFF VALVE

10) GASPER FAN

11) PRESSURE SENSSOR. (1)

Air condition systems primary function is to provide conditioned air to cabin. (1)

RELIABILITY CENTERED MAINTENANCE PROGRAME:

The measure of the system’s ability to perform its function safely and to the standard it

was designed for is known as the reliability of the particular integrated system.

Reliability is measured as probability of the systems failure rate. This is based on

FMECA. (2)

FAILURE MODES, EFFECTS AND CRITICALITY ANALYSIS (FMECA)

 FMECA is an extension of failure mode criticality analysis (FMCA). The

quantitative parameters for all criticality components each probable failure mode

of the whole system.

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 Also refers to the US MIL-STD-1629

 FEMCA analyses each mode of every component failure and ascertains the

effects of each failures on the system operation.

 This is achieved by filling a worksheet comprising tables listing all possible

failures of a system or components on its own and the operational effects.

 Data’s obtained from FMECA can be used for other engineering activities like

safety engineering, maintainability engineering and other such engineering

systems.

 FMECA can be used as functional or (and) physical analysis. (2)

EVALUATION OF FAILURE CONSEQUANCES:

Failure affects the operation, product quality, service, safety, environment, time and cost

of maintenance. Proactive maintenance of reliability centered monitoring (RCM) tries to

avoid, control or reduce the effect of failure consequences to the system operation.

TYPES OF RCM FAILURE CONSEQUANCES:

1) Hidden failure have no direct impact on system but can have serious or

catastrophic consequences, it is an indication of the failure of proactive

maintenance methods which are not fail safe.

2) Safety and environmental consequences of a failure like fatalities, injuries or

breach of any environmental standards.

Name: shyamsundar Mookkiah Eswaran Student ID
08004560
3) Operational consequences of a failure affect the production output, product

quality, service and increase in operation cost.

4) Non operational consequences of a failure are ones which don’t fall in the above

consequences so the only effect will be maintenance cost.

Secondary damages and protected function failures should be analyzes when non

operation failures occurs. New proactive maintenance can be introduced or the

scheduled maintenance program based on the on-condition maintenance is modified.

As failure evaluation is done from each and every component we have to know their

operation and their function in the system. If the components are vital to the system

then the proactive tasks for it should be in regular small intervals. As proactive tasks are

taken prior to the failure and so the failure can be avoided. Default actions are taken

when the proactive or schedule maintenance task fails and could not do failure findings

so new failure finding analysis and redesigning of non schedule maintenance tasks

(run-to-failure) are required. And before implementing all these new tasks and

schedules a technical feasibility check is to be done to know if they are worth doing. If

the tasks are technically feasible, it would reduce the consequence of failure to

acceptable standard of the integrated system. If the tasks are worth doing then their

direct effect is same to that of technical feasibility and indirect effect is the reduction of

cost (economic). If no proactive task is suitable then default action has to be taken.

The failures can be hidden or evident to the operating crew on the nature of failure.

Evident failures are categorized as safety and environment consequences, operational

consequences and non- operational consequences. Hidden failures as self are not
Name: shyamsundar Mookkiah Eswaran Student ID
08004560
evident to operating crew under normal circumstance. If the hidden failures can’t be

found in due course of repetition or by introduction of new proactive tasks and

schedules then the hidden failure have to be detected and the system or the

components or the equipment should be modified.

To accomplish the intended operations capacity required maintenance and proactive

tasks which includes remedial and preventative maintenance should be under taken i.e.

corrective maintenance, preventative maintenance, and predictive maintenance. (2)

System components

1) Engine: provides thrust to aircraft, drives accessory gear box and also provides

hot air to the air condition and pressurization system. Failure can be due to fuel

surge, surge of engine itself, foreign object ingestion, etc. it is a vital component

to the air condition system and the aircraft so its failure will be catastrophic. (1)

2) Pre cooler: cools down the hot air to a certain temperature, so the hot air is

inacceptable temperature for the air condition pack and the ducts which carries

them to the pack. Failure of pre cooler will lead to the improper working of air

condition pack and overheating of the ducts which is not design to high

temperature. This in turn triggers the shut off valve to close. Pre cooler is a vital

component so failure of it will be hazardous to the system. Pre cooler can fail due

to ram air blockage or busting of the cooler tubes or ducts. (1)

3) Non return valve (NRV): allows the flow of air in one direction only. It is safety

equipment fitted in the system, it comes in to operation only when there is some
Name: shyamsundar Mookkiah Eswaran Student ID
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problem in the system and the flow of air is revered. There is a possibility of

mechanical failure in the component. NRV failure is considered as minor failure

and is hidden. So an operational check has to be carried out as a proactive task.

(1)

4) Shut off valve: shuts off the hot air flow to the air condition pack if there are

any faulty components or temperature rise in the mixer unit. Mechanical failure

can occur but will be indicated in the cockpit. Failure is catastrophic as the whole

air conditioning pack should be shut off or extra load on other packs. (1)

5) Flow control valve: controls the amount of air passing through the secondary

heat exchanger. Again mechanical failure can occur. Failure can lead to un-

serviceability of the pack. Failure is considered as major failure of the component

to the system. (1)

6) Temperature control valve: controls the amount of by-passed air to the mixer

unit. Mechanical failure can occur. Failure will result in increased temperature in

the manifold tank, resulting in shut off of the pack. Failure is considered as major

in the system. (1)

7) Humidity control: controls the humidity percentage in the air. Mechanical failure

can occur. Failure of humidity control can cause a bit of discomfort to the
Name: shyamsundar Mookkiah Eswaran Student ID
08004560
passengers and crew members. So failure of humidity control is considered as

minor failure. (1)

8) Mixer unit: it mixes the bye passes air with the cold air in proper ratio. Mechanical

failure can occur. Failure does not affect the system very much but cause a bit of

discomfort. So can be classified as minor failure. (1)

9) Secondary heat exchanger (SHE): as said cools down the air passing though it

with the help of ram air. Faults or failures are same as pre cooler. Impact of the

failure varies as temperature control valve also shuts down to maintain

temperature leading to pack being un-serviceable. So is a major failure. (1)

10) Filter: filters any dust, smoke or any unwanted things in air. Filter can get

clogged if not maintained properly. Clogging will result in drop of pressure from

the pack as less air or no air flows through. Failure is considered major as it will

cause a lot of discomfort to the passengers and the crew. (1)

11) Water infiltration: regulates the humidity of the conditioned air to the cabin.

Failure can be mechanical and cause discomfort to the passengers and crew. So

is considered as minor failure. (1)

12)Manifold relief valve: relives extra pressure from the manifold tank by venting

some of the conditioned air to atmosphere. Mechanical failure can occur causing
Name: shyamsundar Mookkiah Eswaran Student ID
08004560
complete loss of pressure or over pressure but over pressurization of the cabin

can be controlled by outflow valve. So failure can be categorized as major. (1)

13)Main shut off valve: used to shut off conditioned air to the cabin if any problem

arise in the system. Not used often. Failure can result in rapid depressurization or

cabin discomfort. Mechanical failure can occur. Failure is classified as major. (1)

14)Gasper fan: provides positive flow to the cabin. Component failure can occur due

to electric failure or components not working properly. Failure is minor as there

are number of gasper fan fitted in the duct lines. (1)

Now as we know the operation and failures which can probably occur in the system and

its components we can calculate the failure rate by using the block diagram and

reliability of the system is calculated by summing the reliability of each component.

CONDITIONED AIR TO CABIN

GASPER FAN

MAIN CONTROLE VALVE MAIN CONTROLE VALVE

WATER
WATER
INFILTRATION
INFILTRATION

CONDITIONED AIR MANIFOLD

FILTER MANIFOLD
FILTER FILTER RELIEF
NRV
NRV VALVE
NRV
 Name: shyamsundar Mookkiah Eswaran Student ID
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MIXER UNIT
MIXER UNIT
MIXER UNIT TEMPERATURE
HUMUDITY CONTROLE
HUMUDITYCONTROLE HUMUDITY CONTROLE CONROL

SECOUNDARY HEAT
SECOUNDARY HEAT SECOUNDARY HEAT
EXCHANGER
EXCHANGER EXCHANGER

FLOW CONTROLE FLOW CONTROLE VALVE

FLOW CONTROLE
VALVE
VALVE

SHUT OFF VALVE SHUT OFF VALVE

SHUT OFF VALVE

NRV
NRV NRV

PRE -COOLER PRE -COOLER PRE -COOLER

ENGINE NO: 1 APU ENGINE NO: 2

BOTH ENGINE NO: 1 AND APU ALSO HAVE TEMPERATURE CONTROL VALVE.

Reliability of each component is found by the formula Rt = e-λt

RT = reliability

-λt = failure rate hour

= failure rate

Very low failure rate = 1* 10^-8

Low failure rate = 2*10^-6

Moderate failure rate = 3*10^-5

Name: shyamsundar Mookkiah Eswaran Student ID
08004560
High failure rate = 4*10^-4

Very high failure rate = 5*10^-3 (2)

Gasper fan- high failure rate, main shut off valve -very low failure rate, water infiltration

low failure rate, manifold relief vale – very low failure rate, filter – low failure rate, NRV –

very low failure rate, mixer unit – very low failure rate, humidity control – moderate

failure rate. Secondary heat exchanger – very low failure rate, temperature control valve

– low failure rate, flow control – very low failure rate, shut off valve – very low failure

rate, pre cooler - very low failure rate.

All above data’s are just assumption. The following is the reliability block diagram for the

system based on above assumption and t = 2.

RELIABILITY BLOCK DIAGRAM:

1.157

1. 1.

1. 1.

1.

1. 1. 1.

1. 1. 1.

1. 1. 1.

1.04 1.04 1.04

04 04 04
1. 1. 1.
Name: shyamsundar Mookkiah Eswaran Student ID
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1. 1. 1.

1. 1. 1.

1. 1. 1.

1. 1. 1.

Using the following formulas for above RBD the reliability can be found for the

assumption.

Series reliability

s=∑ 1 = Rs = R1*R2*R3*…….*Rn

Parallel reliability

Rs = 1-(1-R1)(1-R2)….(1-Rn) (2)

The formulated reliability for assumption is 1.157. This is above one so has good

reliability.
Name: shyamsundar Mookkiah Eswaran Student ID
08004560
FAULT TREE ANALYSIS (FTA):

FTA is a commonly used strategy in maintenance as it is an easy way to define a

system, understand it and it’s easy to find probable faults in the system. It also aids in

obtaining statistical data for further development of the pro active maintenance. FTA

also narrows down the fault search in a system by displaying all possible faults and its

occurrence. FTA is a graphical method which describes the combination of events

which can lead to a systems functional failure. It also aids in engineering and business

for systems process and development. It is very easy to understand and solve problems

in system. (2)

FTA in maintenance.

 An importance maintenance tool.

 Very simple to use.

 Its graphical method makes it easy to understand.

 Each type of events is displayed in a unique shape.

 Prevents and correct errors in a system. (2)

The following is the fault tree analysis of the air conditioning unit.
Name: shyamsundar Mookkiah Eswaran Student ID
08004560

Or gate And gate

Name: shyamsundar Mookkiah Eswaran Student ID
08004560
Name: shyamsundar Mookkiah Eswaran Student ID
08004560
PARETO ANALYSIS:

Pareto analysis is a graphical method which shows the failure rates of the components

in a system. Data’s are obtained by the on condition, condition and hard time

maintenance on the system for a particular time period. New proactive maintenance and

time intervals of maintenance schedule are adjusted based on the Pareto graph. The

following is an example Pareto chart based on assumption for a time period. Only few

components of the system are taken. (3)

COMPONENT NO: OF FAILURE

PRE-COOLER 2
SECOUNDARY HEAT EXCHAN
GER 0
HUMIDITY CONTROL 6
FILTER 5
WATER INFILTRATION 3
GASPER FAN 7

PARETO CHART

7
PRE-COOLER
6
NO: OF FAILURES

SECOUNDARY HEAT
5 EXCHAN GER
4
HUMIDITY CONTROL
3
FILTER
2

1 WATER INFILTRATION

0 GASPER FAN
1

COMPONENTS
Name: shyamsundar Mookkiah Eswaran Student ID
08004560
Based on the above chart we need more proactive maintenance with short intervals for

humidity control, gasper fan and filter. Task intervals should be shortened for whether

infiltration and pre-cooler. Thus preventing component failures and cost effective to the

operator.

EVENT TREE ANALYSIS (CAUSE CONSEQUANCE ANALYSIS):

It is a graphical method of representing a logical model of a systems operation. Also

identifying and quantifying the possible outcome of the initiating event. This analysis is

frequently used in analysis of sequence of events which includes human activities that

can lead to disaster or undesirable events. It also provides inductive approach to

reliability assessment as the tree is a sequence of logic events. Both event tree and

fault tree analysis are closely linked. The goal of this analysis is to determine the

probable outcomes in logic events from the initiating event to the desired outcome. (2)

The following is a sample event tree analysis for the selected system.
Name: shyamsundar Mookkiah Eswaran Student ID
08004560

MODEL OF EVENT TREE ANALSIS FOR THE SELECTED SYSTEM

Name: shyamsundar Mookkiah Eswaran Student ID
08004560
All the three RCM models reliability block diagram, fault tree analysis and event tree

analysis are analyzed and evaluated by Maintenance review board (MRB) to form the

required new proactive task and maintenance intervals. The on condition maintenance

process can be clearly understood by following diagram. (2)

Routine proactive

tasks

Schedule
New proactive
maintenance
tasks

Standard
MRB approval
maintenance

procedure

RCM model New policies and

analysis procedures

The above diagram gives a simple explanation of reliability centered maintenance

system and its operation. It is very clear from the above diagram that reliability centered

maintenance is based on on-condition monitoring.

Name: shyamsundar Mookkiah Eswaran Student ID
08004560
CONCLUSION:

This assignment clearly states the RCM process using the routine RCM analysis tool

like the reliability block diagram, fault tree analysis and event tree analysis

appropriately. Aircraft air condition system has been selected and the system and its

component were clearly explained with logic sequence example models.

Name: shyamsundar Mookkiah Eswaran Student ID
08004560
REFERANCE:

(1) MODULE 11 CAT B MECHANICAL NOTES KLM UK ENGINEERING

TECHNICAL COLLEGE, Issue 1- 20 march 2001page 4-1 to 4-30.

(2) Engineering Reliability and Reliability Centered Aircraft Maintenance,

EN/368/DA/TR, Perth College

(3) Observation of Mr. David Adcock class on Pareto chart.