Maintenance and Reliability Flashcards

Which metric represents the average time between consecutive failures of a repairable system?

Answer: Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)

MTBF measures the average elapsed time between failures of a repairable system, serving as a key reliability indicator.

A plant implements a maintenance strategy where assets are replaced or serviced at fixed time intervals regardless of condition. This is called:

Answer: Preventive maintenance

Preventive (or time-based) maintenance schedules service at fixed intervals to reduce the likelihood of failure, independent of equipment condition.

In Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM), the primary objective is to:

Answer: Preserve system function at the lowest cost

RCM focuses on preserving system functions safely and cost-effectively by selecting the most appropriate maintenance strategy for each failure mode.

A root cause analysis (RCA) of a recurring pump failure reveals that inadequate lubrication is the root cause. What type of root cause is this?

Answer: Physical root cause

A physical root cause is the actual material condition (such as lack of lubrication) that directly caused the failure.

Which of the following is NOT a component of Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)?

Answer: Maintainability

OEE is calculated from Availability, Performance, and Quality; maintainability is a reliability concept but not an OEE component.

Vibration analysis is most commonly used to detect which type of equipment fault?

Answer: Bearing wear and imbalance

Vibration analysis is the primary predictive maintenance technique for detecting bearing defects, imbalance, misalignment, and looseness in rotating equipment.

A maintenance planner uses a Bill of Materials (BOM) to:

Answer: Identify all parts needed for a maintenance task

A BOM lists all components, sub-assemblies, and materials required to complete a maintenance task or repair.