CMRT Corrective Maintenance Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary objective of corrective maintenance?
- To predict equipment failures using condition-monitoring data.
- To improve the original design of the equipment for better performance.
- To restore equipment to a functional state after a failure has occurred. (Correct answer)
- To prevent failures by performing tasks on a time-based schedule.
Correct answer: To restore equipment to a functional state after a failure has occurred.
Corrective maintenance is a reactive strategy focused on repairing and restoring equipment to operational condition after a fault or breakdown has already happened.
Question 2: Which of the following scenarios best illustrates deferred corrective maintenance?
- A critical production line pump fails, and a technician is immediately dispatched to repair it.
- An operator reports a minor, non-critical guard is loose. Maintenance schedules the repair for the next planned downtime. (Correct answer)
- Vibration analysis indicates a bearing is beginning to wear, and a replacement is planned before it fails.
- A technician replaces the oil in a gearbox based on a 6-month schedule.
Correct answer: An operator reports a minor, non-critical guard is loose. Maintenance schedules the repair for the next planned downtime.
Deferred corrective maintenance involves a known issue that does not pose an immediate risk, allowing the repair to be planned and scheduled for a more convenient time to minimize disruption.
Question 3: An operator reports that a pneumatic conveyor system has completely stopped. After performing a lockout/tagout procedure, what is the MOST logical first step a maintenance technician should take to troubleshoot the problem?
- Order a complete set of replacement parts for the conveyor's drive system.
- Immediately begin disassembling the main drive motor to check for internal damage.
- Consult the preventive maintenance schedule to see if a task was missed.
- Verify the availability and proper pressure of the main compressed air supply. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Verify the availability and proper pressure of the main compressed air supply.
Effective troubleshooting begins by checking the most fundamental inputs to the system. For a pneumatic system, the primary energy source is compressed air. Verifying its availability and pressure is the quickest way to rule out a simple, system-wide cause before investigating more complex component failures.
Question 4: After completing a corrective maintenance task on a recurring equipment failure, what is the most important follow-up activity to prevent future occurrences?
- Performing a Root Cause Analysis (RCA). (Correct answer)
- Notifying the production supervisor that the equipment is running.
- Increasing the frequency of all preventive maintenance tasks for that asset.
- Closing the work order in the CMMS immediately.
Correct answer: Performing a Root Cause Analysis (RCA).
Simply fixing the symptom does not address the underlying problem. Performing an RCA is crucial for identifying the fundamental reason for the failure, which allows for a permanent solution to be implemented to prevent it from happening again.
Question 5: A technician responds to a catastrophic bearing failure on a main plant air compressor that has shut down all production. This type of maintenance activity is best classified as:
- Predictive Maintenance
- Emergency Corrective Maintenance (Correct answer)
- Proactive Maintenance
- Preventive Maintenance
Correct answer: Emergency Corrective Maintenance
This scenario describes an unplanned, sudden failure of a critical asset that has a severe impact on operations, requiring immediate attention. This is the definition of emergency corrective maintenance.
Question 6: A technician successfully repairs a hydraulic leak on a press by replacing a failed hose. Before closing the work order, which piece of information is MOST valuable to record for future reliability analysis?
- The time of day the repair was completed.
- The name of the operator who initially reported the issue.
- The specific cause of the hose failure (e.g., abrasion, age, over-pressurization). (Correct answer)
- The weather conditions in the plant during the repair.
Correct answer: The specific cause of the hose failure (e.g., abrasion, age, over-pressurization).
Recording the specific cause of failure (the failure mode) is critical data for reliability analysis and Root Cause Analysis. If a pattern emerges, such as many hoses failing due to abrasion, engineers can implement a proactive solution like re-routing hoses or adding protective sleeves to prevent future failures.
What is the primary objective of corrective maintenance?