Reliability Centered

Maintenance

RCM
Reliability Centered
Maintenance
Reliability-CenteredMaintenance (RCM) is
the process of determining the most
effective maintenance approach.

RCM is used to determine what failure

management strategies should be applied
to ensure a system achieves the desired
levels of safety, reliability, environmental
soundness, and operational readiness in
the most cost-effective manner
 A Brief History of RCM
John Moubray 1949-2004
After graduating as a mechanical engineer in 1971, John Moubray
worked for two years as a maintenance planner in a packaging
plant and for one year as a commercial field engineer for a major
oil company.
In 1974, he joined a large multi-disciplinary management
consulting company. He worked for this company for twelve years,
specializing in the development and implementation of manual and
computerized maintenance management systems for a wide variety
of clients in the mining, manufacturing and electric utility sectors.

He began working on RCM in 1981, and since 1986

was full time dedicated to RCM.
John Moubray is today considered a synonym of RCM.
RCM Objective
To reduce the maintenance cost, by
focusing on the most important functions
of the system, and avoiding or removing
maintenance actions that are not strictly
necessary

RCM is not a substitute for poor design,

inadequate build quality or bad
maintenance practices
The primary RCM principles are:
RCM is Function Oriented
RCM is System Focused
RCM is Reliability Centered
RCM Acknowledges Design Limitations
RCM is Driven by Safety and Economics
RCM Defines Failure as Any Unsatisfactory
Condition
The primary RCM principles are:
RCM Uses a Logic Tree to Screen
Maintenance Tasks
RCM Tasks Must Be Applicable
RCM Tasks Must Be Effective
RCM Acknowledges Three Types of
Maintenance Tasks
RCM is a Living System
RCM Logic Tree
The RCM process flowchart
RCM main steps of analysis
 Study preparation
 System selection and definition
 Functional failure analysis (FFA)
 Critical item selection
 FMECA
 Selection of maintenance actions
 Determination of maintenance intervals
 Preventive maintenance comparison analysis
 Treatment of noncritical items
 Implementation
 In-service data collection and updating
RCM analysis Outcomes

Perform no Maintenance

Perform Preventive Maintenance (PM)

Perform Condition Based Maintenance

(CBM)

Redesign
Elements of RCM
Advantages
Advantages & Disadvantages of
 Implementing RCM increases equipment availability,
RCM
and reduces maintenance and resource costs.

Disadvantages
 RCM does not readily consider the total cost of
owning and maintaining an asset. Additional costs
of ownership, like those considered in evidence-
based maintenance, are not taken into account, and
are therefore not factored into the maintenance
considerations.
Conclusion
Reliability-Centered Maintenance is the
process of determining the most effective
maintenance approach.

RCM can not only improve the reliability of

a system, it can significantly reduce the
required maintenance.