Case-based reasoning combined with statistics for diagnostics and prognosis

Many approaches used for diagnostics today are based on a precise model. This excludes diagnostics of many complex types of machinery that cannot be modelled and simulated easily or without great effort. Our aim is to show that by including human experience it is possible to diagnose complex machinery when there is no or limited models or simulations available. This also enables diagnostics in a dynamic application where conditions change and new cases are often added. In fact every new solved case increases the diagnostic power of the system. We present a number of successful projects where we have used feature extraction together with case-based reasoning to diagnose faults in industrial robots, welding, cutting machinery and we also present our latest project for diagnosing transmissions by combining Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) with statistics. We view the fault diagnosis process as three consecutive steps. In the first step, sensor fault signals from machines and/or input from human operators are collected. Then, the second step consists of extracting relevant fault features. In the final diagnosis/prognosis step, status and faults are identified and classified. We view prognosis as a special case of diagnosis where the prognosis module predicts a stream of future features

A framework for effective management of condition based maintenance programs in the context of industrial development of E-Maintenance strategies

CBM (Condition Based Maintenance) solutions are increasingly present in industrial systems due to two main circumstances: rapid evolution, without precedents, in the capture and analysis of data and significant cost reduction of supporting technologies. CBM programs in industrial systems can become extremely complex, especially when considering the effective introduction of new capabilities provided by PHM (Prognostics and Health Management) and E-maintenance disciplines. In this scenario, any CBM solution involves the management of numerous technical aspects, that the maintenance manager needs to understand, in order to be implemented properly and effectively, according to the company’s strategy. This paper provides a comprehensive representation of the key components of a generic CBM solution, this is presented using a framework or supporting structure for an effective management of the CBM programs. The concept “symptom of failure”, its corresponding analysis techniques (introduced by ISO 13379-1 and linked with RCM/FMEA analysis), and other international standard for CBM open-software application development (for instance, ISO 13374 and OSA-CBM), are used in the paper for the development of the framework. An original template has been developed, adopting the formal structure of RCM analysis templates, to integrate the information of the PHM techniques used to capture the failure mode behaviour and to manage maintenance. Finally, a case study describes the framework using the referred template.Gobierno de Andalucía P11-TEP-7303 M

Methods of Technical Prognostics Applicable to Embedded Systems

Hlavní cílem dizertace je poskytnutí uceleného pohledu na problematiku technické prognostiky, která nachází uplatnění v tzv. prediktivní údržbě založené na trvalém monitorování zařízení a odhadu úrovně degradace systému či jeho zbývající životnosti a to zejména v oblasti komplexních zařízení a strojů. V současnosti je technická diagnostika poměrně dobře zmapovaná a reálně nasazená na rozdíl od technické prognostiky, která je stále rozvíjejícím se oborem, který ovšem postrádá větší množství reálných aplikaci a navíc ne všechny metody jsou dostatečně přesné a aplikovatelné pro embedded systémy. Dizertační práce přináší přehled základních metod použitelných pro účely predikce zbývající užitné životnosti, jsou zde popsány metriky pomocí, kterých je možné jednotlivé přístupy porovnávat ať už z pohledu přesnosti, ale také i z pohledu výpočetní náročnosti. Jedno z dizertačních jader tvoří doporučení a postup pro výběr vhodné prognostické metody s ohledem na prognostická kritéria. Dalším dizertačním jádrem je představení tzv. částicového filtrovaní (particle filtering) vhodné pro model-based prognostiku s ověřením jejich implementace a porovnáním. Hlavní dizertační jádro reprezentuje případovou studii pro velmi aktuální téma prognostiky Li-Ion baterii s ohledem na trvalé monitorování. Případová studie demonstruje proces prognostiky založené na modelu a srovnává možné přístupy jednak pro odhad doby před vybitím baterie, ale také sleduje možné vlivy na degradaci baterie. Součástí práce je základní ověření modelu Li-Ion baterie a návrh prognostického procesu.The main aim of the thesis is to provide a comprehensive overview of technical prognosis, which is applied in the condition based maintenance, based on continuous device monitoring and remaining useful life estimation, especially in the field of complex equipment and machinery. Nowadays technical prognosis is still evolving discipline with limited number of real applications and is not so well developed as technical diagnostics, which is fairly well mapped and deployed in real systems. Thesis provides an overview of basic methods applicable for prediction of remaining useful life, metrics, which can help to compare the different approaches both in terms of accuracy and in terms of computational/deployment cost. One of the research cores consists of recommendations and guide for selecting the appropriate forecasting method with regard to the prognostic criteria. Second thesis research core provides description and applicability of particle filtering framework suitable for model-based forecasting. Verification of their implementation and comparison is provided. The main research topic of the thesis provides a case study for a very actual Li-Ion battery health monitoring and prognostics with respect to continuous monitoring. The case study demonstrates the prognostic process based on the model and compares the possible approaches for estimating both the runtime and capacity fade. Proposed methodology is verified on real measured data.

Predictive Maintenance on the Machining Process and Machine Tool

This paper presents the process required to implement a data driven Predictive Maintenance (PdM) not only in the machine decision making, but also in data acquisition and processing. A short review of the different approaches and techniques in maintenance is given. The main contribution of this paper is a solution for the predictive maintenance problem in a real machining process. Several steps are needed to reach the solution, which are carefully explained. The obtained results show that the Preventive Maintenance (PM), which was carried out in a real machining process, could be changed into a PdM approach. A decision making application was developed to provide a visual analysis of the Remaining Useful Life (RUL) of the machining tool. This work is a proof of concept of the methodology presented in one process, but replicable for most of the process for serial productions of pieces

Data-based fault detection in chemical processes: Managing records with operator intervention and uncertain labels

Developing data-driven fault detection systems for chemical plants requires managing uncertain data labels and dynamic attributes due to operator-process interactions. Mislabeled data is a known problem in computer science that has received scarce attention from the process systems community. This work introduces and examines the effects of operator actions in records and labels, and the consequences in the development of detection models. Using a state space model, this work proposes an iterative relabeling scheme for retraining classifiers that continuously refines dynamic attributes and labels. Three case studies are presented: a reactor as a motivating example, flooding in a simulated de-Butanizer column, as a complex case, and foaming in an absorber as an industrial challenge. For the first case, detection accuracy is shown to increase by 14% while operating costs are reduced by 20%. Moreover, regarding the de-Butanizer column, the performance of the proposed strategy is shown to be 10% higher than the filtering strategy. Promising results are finally reported in regard of efficient strategies to deal with the presented problemPeer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Pembangunan model penentuan keperluan perumahan kajian kes: Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Perumahan merupakan satu komponen penting dalam pembangunan ekonomi di mana ia telah menjadi dasar kerajaan untuk menyediakan rumah bagi setiap rakyat. Rancangan Malaysia terdahulu telah cuba merancang bagi merealisasikan dasar ini. Walaupun anggaran keperluan perumahan dibuat di bawah Rancangan Malaysia, namun anggaran tersebut tidak membayangkan keperluan sebenar pembeli dan penyewa rumah di Malaysia. Negara-negara maju telah menggunakan pelbagai model dalam menentukan keperluan perumahan. Namun begitu, model-model tersebut tidak sesuai digunakan di Malaysia kerana data yang terhad. Kajian ini memfokuskan kepada dua objektif iaitu, mengenal pasti model dan faktor yang signifikan bagi menentukan keperluan perumahan, dan kedua menghasilkan model penentuan keperluan perumahan di Malaysia. Skop kajian ini tertumpu kepada pembeli dan penyewa rumah di Daerah Johor Bahru yang dipilih melalui kaedah pesampelan kelompok pelbagai peringkat. Data diperolehi melalui borang kaji selidik dan dianalisis menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif. Analisis statistik deskriptif digunakan bagi menghuraikan taburan kekerapan, peratus, min, dan sisihan piawai manakala statistik inferensi iaitu ujian Korelasi Pearson dan Regresi Pelbagai digunakan untuk pembentukan model. Dengan menggunakan kaedah Enter, satu model yang signifikan dapat dihasilkan (F4,178 = 353.699 p < 0.05. Adjusted R square = .886) yang signifikan terhadap dua faktor utama iaitu demografi dan kemampuan. Model yang dihasilkan bagi kajian ini adalah General Linear Model. Model ini dapat digunakan bagi menentukan keperluan perumahan di Johor Bahru. Ia juga berfungsi sebagai alat penting dalam perancangan sektor perumahan pada masa hadapan di Malaysia

Gear fault diagnosis and damage level identification based on Hilbert transform and Euclidean distance technique

This paper deals with the problem of gear fault diagnosis with multiple possible fault modes and damage levels. Gears are the most essential parts in rotating machinery. Their health status is a significant index to indicate whether machines can run continually or not. So, gear fault diagnosis and damage level identification is very important in engineering practice. An accuracy way to identify the state of gears is urgently needed for the maintenance decision making. In this paper, a novel gear fault diagnosis and damage level identification method based on Hilbert transform (HT) and Euclidean distance technique (EDT) is developed. The energies of six frequency bands are used as the fault feature through the contrast with other two parameters, kurtosis and skewness. Then HT is used to obtain analytic signal. Finally, EDT is utilized to recognize the different fault modes and damage levels. This method is implemented by two stages, i.e., classifying different fault modes and identifying damage levels for every fault mode. The effectiveness of this methodology is demonstrated by compare to fisher discriminant analysis (FDA) using experiment data acquired from a real gearbox. In addition, industrial data is also used to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method