The principal of condition-based maintenance is a regular practice in the maintenance philosophies. When we look at the maritime industry we see this practice grow each day. To get a good perspective on different maintenance philosophies we present the three most commonly used below with some more detailed information. If there are any questions please don't hesitate to contact us immediately, our maintenance experts are always available.
In predictive or condition-based maintenance, maintenance is performed on base of the actual condition of the machine or system. The condition is determined by periodic or continuous measurements (condition monitoring). This allows maintenance intervals to be extended, or the other way around, maintenance can be performed on a shorter than planned term to prevent early breakdown of a machine.
With preventive maintenance, parts of a machine or system are replaced on base of calendar time or operating hours. The OEM indicates when a component needs to be replaced to avoid failure, and thus a maximum return on the asset is achieved. This way of maintenance is also called periodic maintenance.
Corrective maintenance can be defined as the maintenance which is required when an item has failed or worn out, to bring it back to working order. Corrective maintenance is carried out on all items where the consequences of failure or wearing out are not significant. This form of maintenance is also called instant maintenance or destructive maintenance.
In the 'traditional' way of maintaining large installations, preventive maintenance is performed often. After the expiry of a specified calendar time or hours of an installation is made open and bearings and other wear parts are replaced as a precaution.
Oil analysis is a powerful condition monitoring tool if performed well. We have prepared a short guide about the parameters that are monitored, but also about how to obtain a sample. This is important because the sampling method has a major influence on the quality of the oil analysis program.
