Why does equipment fail?

When faced with a situation that needs to be resolved so often it is relatively simple to apply a sticky plaster, fix the issue, and get things moving again. While there will always be situations where we can make good use of sticky plasters, so often all we are doing is fixing the symptom and not addressing the real issue. If we want to get to grips with minimizing the destructive force of failure in our lives, our careers, and our organizations, then we need to understand what the root causes of failure are and be able to answer the question, ‘why does equipment fail?’.

This image illustrates nine elements of failure that we are going to work through. We will deal with the first three elements in this chapter and then the following six elements over the next two chapters.

Why Does Equipment Fail?

• Lack of or Inadequate Maintenance
• Incorrect Design and/or Specification
• Operational Errors
• Lack of/or Inadequate Maintenance

This tends to be the single most important issue that causes equipment breakdown -The lack of/or inadequate maintenance. This can lead to unnecessary accidents or even machine breakdowns, resulting in injury risks to the operator.

Incorrect Operation of the Machinery

Incorrect operation of the machinery may result in malfunctioning of its internal parts and subsequent failure. This can lead to a sudden component or system failure. Although the costs related to this type of issue may be expensive, the correction and elimination of this type of error are normally the easiest to resolve.

Owner’s Manual

The equipment’s owner manual will have the prescribed service intervals whether they be by hours of operation, seasonal or job-specific. Regular lubrication and filter changes are critical, as are inspections of mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, and other systematic equipment components. Neglect of the prescribed servicing requirements can be the cause of many failures.

Incorrect Design or Specification

If the equipment has been designed poorly or inadequately, the plan will turn out badly. The implications of design deficiency will also present a new set of actions and reactions with potential consequences being

• Unreliable and regular equipment breakdowns
• Underperforming equipment
• Escalation of dangerous conditions and safety risks

I am not too sure if this image illustrates the dangers of bad design. In its time it was probably hugely innovative and amazing but I don’t think it would pass many safety tests today.

Operational Errors

Most of the causes of equipment breakdown, which we can see listed in this image come from issues surrounding the overall operation of machinery.

Lack of Lubrication

As individuals, it is important to look after our own body lubrication, especially when working in hot temperature zones. If we ignore the symptoms and our body’s demands when needing liquid, then we can become seriously dehydrated and if further neglected can lead to all sorts of other complications.

In a similar manner, our equipment also has lubrication demands. Neglected, inadequate, or poor lubrication can lead to disastrous asset failure. Ignore recommended lubricants and lubrication intervals at your own peril. The consequences could lead to serious implications.

There are a number of lubrication issues that we need to be concerned about.

• Over Lubrication

Too much grease could actually cause an asset to jam as well as seal failure, both necessitating additional maintenance and hours of downtime.

• Under Lubrication

Typically excess heat and sound will radiate from the asset until failure.

Alone, these symptoms are easy to detect but within a noisy facility, they could go unnoticed.

• Wrong Lubrication

Not only can using the wrong lubricant leads to asset failure but it may also void the machinery’s warranty.

• Mixing Lubricants

When the wrong lubricants are mixed they risk expanding or shrinking nearby seals causing them to fail. Such problems result in increased spending as those components and parts must be replaced.

• Lubricant Contamination

Not only does contaminated lubricant harm machinery but it can also be expensive to remove and clean. Contamination may come from particles in the ambient air, dirt from outside the facility, or from agents within the machine itself.

Untrained

Without a doubt, the majority of breakdowns come from human error. Outside of proper preventive maintenance, the lack of operator understanding of how a piece of equipment works and what it’s capable of doing leads to damage and unnecessary repairs. This includes the operator not being aware of the equipment’s limitations. A lack of proper training and supervision is normally behind this expensive issue and it’s far more common in hired personnel as opposed to owner-operated machines. The time and money spent on training equipment operators is one of the cheapest returns on investment made in any company.

Incorrect Parts

Sub-standard parts, parts that do not meet specification requirements and not replacing worn parts when needed. All of these actions or non-actions can contribute to and lead to all sorts of equipment malfunctions, complications, and issues.

Extending the equipment’s maintenance program goes beyond routine servicing intervals.

Replacing parts is expensive but the failure of a major component can have a domino effect on having to replace other parts that still have a serviceable life. Inspection is the key to the prevention of major component failure, and the inspection process must be ongoing. Most competent and experienced operators inspect their machinery on a daily basis and don’t wait for a total failure before replacing worn parts.

It’s not just good business. It is common sense

Ignoring warnings

This is usually a spin-off from poorly trained operators. Most machines have an assortment of gauges, dials, overload reliefs, warning buzzers, and alarms. Untrained operators or operators who are impaired by fatigue, illness, or other sources may not be paying attention to what the machine is telling them. Training is the best defense against costly heavy equipment breakdown repairs. Knowing what to watch for on the machine as well as keeping a mandatory service and operation logbook offers a safeguard and forces operators not to ignore dangerous warning signals.

Capacity Excess

Overrunning the machine’s capability can be a serious and expensive issue and this is not just prone to inexperienced operators. Often an operator will be forced into a situation where they push their equipment beyond the design load just to “get the job done.” Overrunning isn’t limited to putting excessive strain on metal, hydraulics, and electrical systems. It’s often overrunning the required and recommended maintenance periods that lead to abrasive conditions and failure of the equipment’s fluids.

Failure to Read Operations Manuals

It is a huge case of neglect if a machine operator is not taking the time to read the equipment’s owner manual that lays out all the acceptable tolerances under which the machine can be operated and how it must be maintained. The machine’s owner manual is also a great source of troubleshooting information and when to read and understood by the operator, it makes them much more aware of how to operate the machine and what warning signals to be aware of.

Why Does Equipment Fail?

Lack of or Inadequate Maintenance

Incorrect Design and/or Specification

Operational Errors

When faced with machine failure we often tend to search for complicated reasons for why the failure happened. In these first three areas that we have just discussed, the reasons for failure are not complicated. Most can be minimized if not completely eliminated by due care, correct training, and common sense.

For more information email us at info@strobe-al.co.za or visit www.strobe-al.co.za