Maintenance Policy

Health and usage monitoring systems

Health and usage monitoring systems (HUMS) is a generic term given to
activities that utilize data collection and analysis techniques to help ensure
availability, reliability and safety of vehicles. Activities similar to, or
sometimes used interchangeably with, HUMS include condition-based
maintenance (CBM) and operational data recording (ODR). This term
HUMS is often used in reference to airborne craft and in particular rotorcraft the term is cited as being introduced by the offshore oil industry after
a commercial Chinook crashed in the North Sea, killing all but two
passengers in 1986. HUMS are now used not only for safety but for a
number of other reasons including:

Maintenance: reduced mission aborts, fewer aircraft on ground

(AOG), simplified logistics for fleet deployment
Cost: maintain as you fly maintenance flights are not required.
Performing repairs when the damage is minor increases the aircraft
mean time before failure (MTBF) and decreases the mean time to
repair (MTTR).
Operational: Improved flight safety, mission reliability and
effectiveness
Performance: improved aircraft performance and reduced fuel
consumption

A Health Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) records the status of critical

systems and components on helicopters so that the early detection of
progressive defects, or indications of them, is possible and thus rectification
can be achieved before they have an immediate effect on operational safety.
The on-board equipment stores data on a PCMCIA Card. For analysis, the
card is downloaded after flight and maintenance analysis can then be
performed on a ground-based computer. These systems were first deployed
in the early 1990s as a response to the relatively poor continuing
airworthiness record and their introduction led to, and continues to support,
significant improvements in both safety and reliability. A typical HUMS
system uses sensors, distributed throughout the airframe and its components,
which are linked to a central computer unit with a data recording and storage
system. Monitoring trends in the recorded data is particularly important - it
allows system specialists to determine whether the aircraft has developed (or
is likely to develop) faults that require rectification.

The extent of HUMS data capture varies considerably. A basic system

collects some usage parameters such as take-offs, landings, engine starts and
winch lifts as well as a small subset of engine and transmission health data.
The most modern systems monitor the health of all significant vibrating and
spinning parts - engines, gearboxes, shafts, fans, rotor systems - and other
components. The operational context of events is recorded so that the trends
can be fully analyzed and maintenance crews are thus able to proactively
perform condition-based maintenance. The latest equipment allows the data
acquired to be processed onboard the aircraft or at a ground station - and
some systems allow it to be transmitted, whilst the helicopter is in flight, via
satellite communications to operator maintenance control units so that
subsequent maintenance downtime can be minimized by pre-planning. These
systems can also be configured to automatically report urgent or emergency
conditions to the operator and manufacturer from anywhere in the world. An
example of a typical HUMS system is briefly described in the reference
below.
Planned maintenance
Planned Preventive Maintenance ('PPM') or more usual just simple
Planned Maintenance (PM) or Scheduled Maintenance is any variety of
scheduled maintenance to an object or item of equipment. Specifically,
Planned Maintenance is a scheduled service visit carried out by a
competent and suitable agent, to ensure that an item of equipment is
operating correctly and to therefore avoid any unscheduled breakdown
and downtime.
Together with Condition Based Maintenance, Planned maintenance
comprises preventive maintenance, in which the maintenance event is
preplanned, and all future maintenance is preprogrammed. Planned
maintenance is created for every item separately according to manufacturers
recommendation or legislation. Plan can be based on equipment running
hours, date based, or for vehicles distance traveled.
A good example of a planned maintenance program is car maintenance,
where time and distance determine fluid change requirements.
A good example of Condition Based Maintenance is the oil pressure
warning light that provides notification that you should stop the vehicle
because failure will occur because engine lubrication has stopped.

Planned maintenance has some advantages over Condition Based

Maintenance such as:

Easier planning of maintenance and ordering spares,

Costs are distributed more evenly,
No initial costs for instruments for supervision of equipment.

Disadvantages are:

Less reliable than equipment with fault reporting associated with

CBM
More expensive due to more frequent parts change.
Requires training investment and ongoing labor costs

Parts that have scheduled maintenance at fixed intervals, usually due to wear
out or a fixed shelf life are sometimes known as time-change interval or TCI
items.
Maintenance Planning and Scheduling
A short definition of maintenance planning and scheduling:
Planning decides what, how and time estimate for a job. Scheduling
decides when and who will do the job. Planning of a job should be done
before Scheduling a job.
Typical activities include:

Define or verify existing work processes.

Make sure all key functions such as planners, supervisors, and
operations coordinators have clear roles.
Set clear priority rules and establish meaning and criteria for existing
codes.
Improve work request usage and clarity.
Check backlog management and clean up if needed.
On-the-job planning enhancement for shutdowns (if applicable).
Shutdown/ Turnaround critique communication.
On-The-Job planning enhancement for day-to-day work.
Job package creation.
Staging areas
Enhance and practice planning and scheduling meetings between
operations and maintenance.

Implement Key Performance indicators (KPIs).

Work on effective use of CMMS.
Hand-on support for history documentation.
Improvement of technical database (Bill Of Materials, technical data,
equipment identification, etc.)
Improve integration with materials management
Contractor management and integration of work processes.

Maintenance Planning and Scheduling

Maintenance planning and scheduling prioritizes and organizes work so it
can be executed in the most efficient manner. Its getting the right people in
the right place with the necessary tools, parts and information to perform the
required task. The benefits of proper planning and scheduling include:

Cost savings due to efficient use of maintenance labor hours

Increased production yield from faster execution of jobs
Reduced injuries and stress from a better work flow
Maintenance planning and scheduling are two activities that ensure the
allocation of needed resources and the sequence in which they are needed so
any activity can be performed in the shortest time with the least cost.
Although planning and scheduling are often spoken in the same breath, they
are two separate functions. Planning defines the WHAT, WHERE, and
HOW, while scheduling defines the WHO and WHEN.
Planning
Although planning can occur at any stage during the life of a work order, it
must be done prior to scheduling. Defining the what, where and how often
requires research and analysis of the job requirements.
First step in planning a maintenance work order is to set priority. The
Planner Scheduler will review the work order content for accuracy such as:
Correct asset number, description of work and proper priority code. The
priority of the work order may have to be modified depending upon the
current backlog. Its not uncommon for priorities to change over the life of a
work order. As production needs change or equipment needs escalate,
priorities will have to be adjusted.
Accurate prioritization involves two distinct decision making processes. The
first, equipment criticality, establishes the equipments importance in regards
to safety, environment and the operation of the plant or product line. The
second decision that has to be made when setting priorities is task criticality.
This deals primarily with the consequences involved that initiated the

required work.

Backlog
Maintaining the backlog is an important part of the planning and scheduling
process. How well an organization manages its backlog demonstrates the
effectiveness with which it applies its resources to the highest priority work.
Many organizations have neglected backlog and failed to realize its
importance in managing the maintenance work load. As a result they are
generally drowning in their own data. There are several common symptoms
of poorly managed backlog.
Scheduling
The purpose of scheduling is to ensure that proper resources are available at
a specific time when equipment on which the work to be done can also be
available. Simply stated, the WHO and the WHEN. Scheduling is a joint
maintenance / operations activity. Maintenance agrees to make the resources
available, while operations agree to make the equipment available. The
outcome of this joint venture is that the scheduled work has the least adverse
impact on normal operating schedule while optimizing maintenance
resources.
One of the more difficult tasks of the Planner / Scheduler involves
estimating labor hours for jobs. To support scheduling and promote
productivity, accurate estimates of labor hours are needed. There are several
methods that can be used for this: applying industrial standards for each task
included in the job, using averages based on history and past experience, or
breaking down the job into steps and estimating the time required for these
steps.
Measuring the effectiveness of planning and scheduling is an important step
that cannot be ignored. There is no single measurement that provides an
overall picture of the effectiveness of the planning and scheduling.
Monitoring several different key performance indicators can however
provide insight on the performance of the maintenance organization