International Journal of Mechanical and Production Engineering Research and Development (IJMPERD) ISSN 2249-6890 Vol.

3, Issue 3, Aug 2013, 117-130 TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

APPLYING RCM TECHNIQUES TO HOUSEHOLD CONSUMER DURABLES THROUGH THE INTERNET OF THINGS
SUKUMAR DAS1 & SANJAY KUMAR2
1

Research Scholar, Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, India

2

Professor, Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, India

ABSTRACT
Purpose: This paper proposes a conceptual model for the use of RCM techniques for household appliances using the proposed infrastructure of the internet of things Design/Methodology/Approach: This paper reviews literature in third generation maintenance techniques such as RCM and CBM. This paper proposes a model for the use of the RCM techniques such as condition based monitoring for household appliances, using the infrastructure of the internet of things. Findings: Generally RCM based techniques are used in factories for the monitoring and fault free operation of plant and machinery. This paper identifies the gap in the use of advanced RCM based techniques in the maintenance of household products, and proposes a model for the same, using the infrastructure of the internet of things. A proposed model IT architecture is also discussed. Practical Implications: The paper suggests an approach of zero-failure maintenance process through the integration of RCM technique and infrastructure of Internet of things. This will help the manufacturers keep their high value assets operational and optimized for long-term efficiency and maximum uptime. The cost of providing such a high level of monitoring and fault free service of the equipment is drastically lowered through the use of the infrastructure of the internet of things. In the traditional service network, a similar level of service would need the availability of a large workforce for maintaining a servicing network across each geographical location, along with a huge inventory of spares. The paper also points to the need for developing a knowledge framework and repository at the manufacturers end, for documenting and encoding the various modes of failure and the identification of signals of incipient failure in the equipment. Originality / Value: The need for lifetime warranties and maintenance contracts is being increasingly felt by manufacturers in an increasingly competitive market. This paper explores a model for the use of internet of things for providing a high level of cost effective monitoring and uptime guarantees for household appliances, by the manufacturer.

KEYWORDS: RCM, CBM, Proactive Maintenance, Internet of Things, Infrared Thermography, Vibration Analysis INTRODUCTION
Competitive pressures of the marketplace and changing expectation of customers have caused companies to progressively promise or guarantee long years of fault free operation of their machines or products. These warranties are now extending to the expected lifetime of the product. Another model of a hassle free operation of the product, during its expected life, is through the provision of annual maintenance contracts being offered by the manufacturers. Though this

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provides a stream of revenue during the life of the product, multinational companies are loaded with the cost of maintaining a huge service network in many countries, and a huge inventory of spare parts in each country. Failure of a component incurs not only a replacement cost, but also the reputation of the company is tarnished. Over the last years, the application of scientific methods in maintenance management in factories, has led to a significant reduction in the incidences of equipment failure on the shop floor. The use of proactive and predictive maintenance techniques for maintenance such as condition based monitoring has proved to be a cost effective approach on the shop floor. Increasingly factories are adopting Reliability Centered Maintenance practices on the shop floor. However the use of such techniques in household consumer durable goods is not prevalent due to the requirement of costly equipment and specialized training of service personnel for advanced fault identification techniques. Also the non availability of historical information and systematic record keeping, required for detecting incipient failures, acts as a hindrance in the application of RCM techniques for household appliances. The internet of things can be described as a worldwide network of interconnected objects (such as household appliances), uniquely addressable, having embedded intelligent sensors and based on standard communication protocols. (Zouganeli and Svinnset, 2009, Semantic) The vision of internet of things includes millions of objects that interact with the network using a plethora of applications. It is expected that the Internet of things will become a reality over the next 20 years; with omnipresent smart devices wirelessly communicating over hybrid and ad-hoc networks of devices, sensors and actuators working in synergy to improve the quality of our lives (see figure 1). The availability of this network infrastructure will allow manufacturers to use RCM techniques, such as condition based monitoring, to provide fault free working equipment to the customers with a minimal ser vice inventory and at a substantially lower cost. This paper suggests a conceptual framework for the deployment such advanced maintenance techniques to household appliances using the infrastructure enabled by the internet of things. Internet of Things

Figure 1: Internet of Things (Taken from Furness, 2008) As given in the report by Furness (2008), the proposed infrastructure of the internet of things is described below (see figure 1). Furness describes a proposed multi-level level network for the internet of things. He describes internet of things as a global network infrastructure, linking physical and virtual objects through the exploitation of data capture and communication capabilities. This infrastructure includes existing and evolving Internet and network developments. It will

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offer specific object-identification, sensor and connection capability as the basis for the development of independent federated services and applications. First level of the proposed infrastructure would include the embedded intelligent sensors and RFID tags in various objects or machines. These sensors would then capture data about the condition of the machine and after local processing, send this data through wireless channel to the next layer comprising access gateways and internet. Here the relevant users may access this data on an online basis or on a selective access basis from the internet of things. One relevant user may be the manufacturing company or service provider for the object. This data which is available on the network is then captured by the user company, through the appropriate middleware and stored in its database server. This may also be processed at an appropriate time using various software applications as required (Thiesse and Michahelles, 2009). Relevant services may be offered by interested companies automatically, or through the manual intervention of the user, for such objects. Maintenance Management The primary objective of any maintenance system is to keep in efficient operating condition, the productive plant and equipment, their auxiliaries, general engineering services, the material handling units in a good state of repair. Different maintenance strategies of equipment like Breakdown maintenance, Preventive maintenance, Predictive maintenance, Design out maintenance etc have evolved over a period of time, to increase the availability and reliability of the equipment with required cost effectiveness. According to Smith and Hinchcliffe (2003), around 50 percent of machine failures are due to human error in maintenance work. So a right maintenance method is needed which can minimize human involvement during maintenance work. Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) Reliability centered maintenance (RCM) is a systematic cost-effective approach used to optimize preventive maintenance (PM) strategies offering a sound framework for optimizing the maintenance effort and getting the maximum out of the resources committed to the PM program (Ben-daya, 2000). RCM philosophy employs Preventive Maintenance, Predictive Maintenance, Reactive maintenance and Proactive Maintenance techniques in an integrated manner to increase the probability that a machine or component will function in the required manner over its design life cycle with a minimum of maintenance effort. Moubray (1997) defines reliability centered maintenance as: Reliability-Centered Maintenance: A process used to determine the maintenance requirements of any physical asset in its operating context Major parts of RCM process can be summarized below (Rausand, 2003): Step 1: To identify the operating context of the machinery, and identify the common modes of failure using a Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) Step 2: To apply the "RCM logic" which helps determine the appropriate maintenance tasks, for each of the identified failure modes in the FMECA. Condition based monitoring with appropriate sensors is used to monitor the current status of the machine. Here the use of various instruments such as vibration analyzer and thermal imaging camera etc. is made to create recorded histories of the state of various components, and thus make it possible to identify incipient failures. Software modules or BOTS can be made for identifying trends in recorded patterns of such data (like thermal maps, vibration signals etc.), which signal incipient failure.

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Step 3: RCM is kept live throughout the "in-service" life of machinery, using condition based monitoring and a continuous scanning of sensor data, using an evolving knowledge of failure patterns. RCM is a third generation maintenance process (figure 2), which is finding a growing acceptance in factories,

cutting across industry sectors. The following section explains condition based monitoring, which is a crucial part of the RCM process, in more detail.

Figure 2: Changing Maintenance Techniques (Moubray, 1997) Condition Based Monitoring (CBM) Condition monitoring or CBM is an effective form of predictive maintenance where condition of specific parts of plant and equipment are monitored using a range of instrumentation such as machinery vibration analysis and thermal imaging equipment etc. CBM approach has been used in various industrial applications including CNC turning machines (Akturt and Gurel, 2007).

Figure 3: RCM and CBM Tools Condition monitoring replaces arbitrarily timed maintenance tasks with maintenance that is scheduled only when warranted by equipment condition (NASA Manual, 2000). Continuing analysis of equipment condition monitoring data allows planning and scheduling of maintenance or repairs in advance of catastrophic and functional failure. In automated CBM process, when any monitored and predefined condition limit is exceeded, a signal or output is activated, which generates an alert or a graded alarm process (Lembede and Xulu, 2009). Major tools used for condition Based Maintenance are (Akturt and Gurel, 2007; Lembede and Xulu, 2009; Yan and Huang, 2009; NASA Manual, 2000): Vibration analyzer, Thermal Imaging Camera, Oil-Debris analyzer, Motor Current Signature analyzer, Dissolved Gas Analyzer, Ultrasonic Noise Detector etc

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Use of RCM Methods in Industry A list of some monitoring tools and methods used in condition based monitoring are given in figure 4. The NASA manual on RCM, discusses in detail the use of the main techniques and tools. The most commonly used methods used for CBM are vibration analysis, infrared thermography and ultrasonic noise detection (NASA Manual, 2000; Hillman and Fitch, 2007; Al-Bedoor et al., 2003; Smith and Hinchcliffe, 2003; Moubray, 1997). In the following section, we will discuss two small case studies based on Thermal Imaging and vibration analysis. Then taking data from the shop floor, we will demonstrate how incipient failure can be identified from the reports generated by these methods. We will also illustrate the logic used for pattern identification in the output data generated. This is an essential element in the generation of self contained analyzer software modules called BOTS. These BOTS may be used to automate the process of condition monitoring and lead to multi-level automatic alarm generation with instructions, and these form an essential element of the proposed model for use of RCM and CBM based tools for household appliances, as discussed in this paper.

Source: NASA Manual on RCM, 2000 Figure 4: Methods Used in Condition Based Monitoring Thermal Imaging (Infrared Thermography) The use of Infrared Thermography method has been growing exponentially as industries are looking to streamline costs, especially in the areas of predictive and preventative maintenance. Infrared Thermography (IRT) is the application of infrared detection instruments to identify pictures of temperature differences (thermogram). The test instruments used are non-contact, line-of-sight, thermal measurement and imaging systems. IRT can be utilized to identify degrading conditions

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in facilities electrical systems such as transformers, motor control centers, switchgear, substations, switchyards, or power lines. In mechanical systems, IRT can identify blocked flow conditions in heat exchanges, condensers, transformer cooling radiators, and pipes (NASA Manual, 2000). Normally the equipments used are Noncontact infrared thermometers/scanners, Full color microprocessor imaging systems (with data storage and print capability), Digital IR Still Camera etc. Given below is an example of fault rectification in electrical sub-station equipment (Figure 5)

Source: Tata Steel Figure 5: High Temperature in the Transmission Line Bushing Given in figure 6 is the logic flow diagram, for automatic identification and alert generation, from the thermographs generated when the product is scanned with an infrared camera. This logic is embedded in the form of software tools also known as BOTS and is a part of the knowledge base created when the company goes for detailed FMECA process, for identifying the possible failures in the product. (NASA Manual, 2000) Briefly the thermal map is analyzed for pixel coordinates, color contrast, color spatial distribution. This information is received with the product identification number, which is also the primary key for the historical data for product testing, stored in the database of the manufacturer. The image is scanned pixel by pixel and the color difference is compared against specified value (Meola, 2007). If the color difference is larger than the specified value, then the spatial distribution of the thermogram is checked through secondary analysis through creating histograms or wavelets for the area being checked. The difference pattern is then compared with the historical thermogram from the database. If the difference is significant, then a detailed screening of the image is done to identify the fault and its location and a graded alarm mechanism is triggered. Repair instructions to AMC team may be sent if required. Vibration Analysis Machinery and system vibration is the periodic motion of a body about its equilibrium position. Vibration monitoring helps determine the condition of rotating equipment and structural stability in a system. Machinery and system vibration is the periodic motion of a body about its equilibrium position which gets affected when defects begin in the machine. Interpretation of the vibration signals from the machine via sensors is done which includes comparing of level and trend of vibrations with historical baseline values such as former start-ups and shutdowns. Vibration analysis is one of best measure a machine health amongst all the predictive maintenance technologies as it can detect significant number of

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possible failures like Wear, imbalance, misalignment, mechanical looseness, bearing damage, belt flaws, sheave and pulley flaws, gear damage, flow turbulence, cavitations, structural resonance, fatigue, etc. (Yan and Huang, 2009, NASA Manual, 2000). Infrared Thermography

Figure 6: Logical Flow for Analysis of Infrared Thermogram As shown by Yan and Huang, 2009, blade vibration signature has been extracted from the shaft torsional vibration shafts which be used to identify rotor cracks in industrial machines (Yan and Huang, 2009). One such example of detection of bearing failure through Vibration analysis in the No Twist Mill (NTM) of a typical Wire Rod Mill is given below (Figure 6). The why - why analysis of the possible failure mode is given in table 1.

Source: Tata Steel Figure 7: Detection of Bearing Failure through Vibration Analysis of NTM

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Table 1: Why-Why Analysis of Abnormalities of Vibration Signals in Vibration Scan of Bearing Nearing Failure in Washing Machine Why-Why Analysis Physical Phenomenon: Abnormal Vibration from Side Bearing in Washing Machine Why Answer Action Why there is an abnormal vibration Bearing was running dry Why 1 curve from the Bearing section (Starvation of lubrication) Serviceman will take out Why there is starvation of Wrong fitment of the Why 2 the bearing chamber for lubrication bearing end cover. replacement Why there is wrong fitment of the There is a chance of misfit Why 3 bearing end cover during fitting/assembly. Company agreed to Inadequate Bearing Why 4 Why there is a chance of misfit replace the bearing with housing design of motor modified bearing in motor Root Cause : Wrong fitment of the bearing end cover & Inadequate Bearing housing design

VIBRATION ANALYZER

Figure 8: Logical Flow for Analysis of Vibration Analyzer Signal In figure 8, the logic flow diagram, for automatic identification and alert generation, from the vibration maps generated when the product is scanned with a vibration analyzer. This logic is again embedded in the BOTS. (Automatic software programs) The vibration map contains information about amplitude, frequency, time along with the product id. The incidence of any sharp change in amplitude is monitored, and if detected, the information is analyzed using various methods of analysis such as filtering, torsional vibration analysis, spike energy analysis etc (Hillman, B. and Fitch, M., 2007; NASA Manual, 2000; Al- Bedoor et al., 2003). This is followed by matching the vibration with the historical map and a detailed fault analysis is done. The output of this analysis is the triggering of a graded alarm mechanism if a problem is detected, along with repair instructions to the AMC team.

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Model of Proposed IT Infrastructure for Application of RCM Techniques to Home Appliances Using the Internet of Things The application of RCM techniques to household appliances, creates a requirement that the manufacturer of consumer durables will keep an online record of the condition based history of the product, and that this database will be accessible to the service engineers during the planned lifecycle of the product. The manufacturer needs a specialized infrastructure to either continuously monitor the status of the product or to take action based on the interpretation of the condition monitoring data sent by maintenance team. (See figure 9) This is only possible if a multi level IT infrastructure is available, and the scenario for use of such a network (see figure 1) is given below. This IT infrastructure model is shown in figure 9, and consists of three levels as described below: Level - I: Built-in-Machine This level comprises of Household appliances containing RFID and sensors which can be embedded in the machine itself. Intelligent feedback and response devices inside the machine are capable of responding to external stimulus by making adjustments in the operating conditions. In case of severe fault, an alarm signal can be thrown like beeping sound. An example is the microprocessor based temperature control system, where the cooling in a refrigerator is adjusted according to ambient conditions. Level- II: Online Continuous Monitoring Continuous monitoring devices installed in the equipment send product id and sensor responses in real-time to firms continuous monitoring access networks through access gateway and internet. Intermittent reader installed at firms end reads the signals at regular pre-determined periods.

Figure 9: IT Architecture for a 3 Layer Maintenance Management System

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Product information along with processed information goes to the internal database. There software modules called BOTS analyze the received instrument data. They embody the knowledge base of the manufacturer regarding failure modes for the machine. These BOTS automatically carry out the fault analysis or cause-effect analysis using a comparison of historical and current instrument data. (See figure 4 for common types of instruments and methods, figure 6, figure 7, figure 8) Status of the appliances health is analyzed and any change in the status leads to following: Triggering of an alarm mechanism graded according to nature of machine and fault diagnosis. Consumers are intimated via SMS, email or phone and are requested to visit the nearest service center for repair Repair execution commands may be sent to the response devices inside the equipment like turn off the heating unit etc Alarm signals can be sent to the nearest service personnel whose location can also be identified via RFID tagging To better illustrate the working model of continuous monitoring using internet of things, the scenario a faulty car may be used. Various sensors at critical location may be installed within a car by the manufacturer. A most commonly used monitor is the Engine Control Unit (ECU). The ECU monitors the critical parameters of the working of an engine, such as compression ratio, RPM (revolutions per minute), fuel usage etc. Now this unit can also transmit data using a wireless network to the company server. The Host server receives these signals at intermittent intervals and continually monitors to see that the parameters are within specified limits. If say, the engines petrol consumption increases without a corresponding increase in RPM, then the alarm is triggered. Software BOTS identify the faults if any, and send back repair commands to the car intelligent tracking system. In case of any major repair requirement, the car-owner will receive alarm by sms or a phone call asking him to report to the nearest service station. Level - III: Periodic Monitoring and Repair Most home appliances are today sold with annual maintenance contracts and / or warranties on parts for a number of years. In such products, the periodic service and checkup visit of the service engineer is used to conduct a complete health analysis of the machine, where advanced instruments help in a multi level fault analysis of the machine at the manufacturers end. So the service engineer now appears for annual (or semi -annual) service with sophisticated equipments like thermal imaging camera, vibration analyzer etc. These sensing and analyzing devices receive the signals from RFID and various other sensors which can detect and analyze the condition of the components of the machine. For example, a comparison of the vibration pattern of bearing elements (obtained by vibration analyzer see figure 7 and figure 8) with the historical vibration pattern will yield more information of possible changes in operating condition of the machine. Similarly, a comparison with the historical thermal imaging data will allow the engineer to identify any new hot spots in the machine or its electrical panel, indicating potential failure sites. Now the maintenance team uploads the scanned reports like vibration and thermal maps along with product id to the companys dedicated portal through internet of things. Such information is compared with previously uploaded data of the same item and an automated program can be used to identify potential failure points, and to throw up requisite alerts and repair instructions to the AMC team. The uploaded data is also saved in the database of the manufacturer. This may be illustrated with a scenario describing the annual maintenance of a washing machine. Generally a service engineer comes with minimal equipments and a few common spare parts for annual or periodic maintenance. The

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annual maintenance check consists of a few visual inspection checks on condition of machine and replacement of any malfunctioning part or filter. The next visit may be conducted by another service engineer and the previous condition status is lost. Each service engineer starts to look for problems afresh. Now, in a world of internet of things, the service engineer appears with sophisticated equipments like thermal imaging camera, vibration analyzer etc for the annual checks and maintenance. He can use a single tool or combination of tools like vibration analysis and infrared thermography. Vibration analysis can detect and analyze the condition of various components, including rolling-element bearings. By analyzing vibration signatures produced by bearing components, a vibration analyst can pinpoint bearing damage caused during operation. Any unusual pattern generated at one of these suspected frequencies is cause for immediate concern. Thermal imaging of the machine will allow the engineer to identify the potential trouble spots (if any) in the motor or electrical circuit (Maldague, 2001). Through the iterative and simplified process, the engineer or technician performing the analysis is able to determine the root cause of the problem by deducting non-indicative symptoms and conditions (NASA Manual, 2000)

CONCLUSIONS
Although advanced methods in maintenance technology are still in their infancy, multiple new technologies are emerging and being applied to maintenance and mechanical diagnostics problems (e.g., advanced detection methods for temperature, oil analysis, and vibration signal processing). A limiting factor in the further development of Condition Based Monitoring continues to be a lack of high fidelity data of faults as they initiate and evolve. Despite the limitations, there is also a growing need felt in the consumer goods industry to offer better maintenance services to clients using proactive maintenance techniques. While critical applications like aviation, defense, transport & delivery have been focusing on maximizing assets using effective maintenance technology and processes, there is a growing need being felt in the consumer durables segment to offer these capabilities as part of service agreements. These needs also arise from similar considerations as below: Product companies are increasingly recognizing the importance of effective data tracking and trend analysis to get the maximum benefit from their product servicing processes They also realize that this analysis will help them keep their high value assets operational and optimized for longterm efficiency and maximum uptime The cost of providing such a high level of monitoring and fault free service of the equipment is drastically lowered through the use of the infrastructure of the internet of things. In the traditional service network, a similar level of service would need the availability of a large workforce for maintaining a servicing network across each geographical location, along with a huge inventory of spares There is a need for the development of the following modules or units for the practical implementation of this proposed model. A selective pulse reader for selective timed access of continuous stream of monitored and transmitted data from the sensors A knowledge framework and repository at the manufacturers end, for documenting and encoding the various modes of failure and the identification of signals of incipient failure in the equipment

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The need for training and equipping the service engineers to carry out advanced analysis and tests of the equipment, and to do cause effect analysis from the current and historical data

Various elements of the internet based network infrastructure are still being developed Develop procedures and knowledge base for an effective use of sensors for monitoring the various points of failure Advance planning and proactive steps towards setting up and exploiting the internet of things for monitoring

household appliances, may allow companies to get a medium term competitive advantage in the intensely competitive home appliances market.

REFERENCES
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14. Smith, A. M. and Hinchcliffe, G. R. (2003), RCM-Gateway to World Class Maintenance, 2nd edition, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK 15. Smith, A. M. and Hinchcliffe, G. R. (2006), Four features used to define RCM, Plant Engineering, January, pp. 31-32 16. Thiesse, F. and Michahelles, F. (2009), Building the Internet of Things Using RFID: The RFID Ecosystem Experience, IEEE Internet Computing Magazine, IEEE Computer Society, May-June 17. Yan, B. and Huang, G. (2009),Supply Chain Information Transmission based on RFID and Internet of Things, in proceedings of 2009 International Colloquium on Computing, Communication, Control, and Management, ISBN: 978-1-4244-4246-1, IEEE Inc., New Jersey 18. Zouganeli,E. and Svinnset, I.E. (2009), Connected Objects and the Internet of Things - a Paradigm Shift, in proceedings of September 2009 International conference of photonics in switching , Pisa, Italy