Can you identify and name this fracture pattern? How can you tell it is that fracture pattern? Where are the origin(s) of the failure on the fractured surface? How can you tell where the origin(s) are?
This failure occurred on a turbine driven boiler feedwater pump (TDBFP) at a fossil fuel power plant. The pump in question is an outboard boiler feed pump. Plant is operating normally when unexpectedly pump shuts down and causes a forced outage. Here is a basic process flow diagram for this process…
This is a failed shaft that came out of a pump in a paper mill. The pump was only in service for about a month before it failed unexpectedly…
In our last series highlighting the 4 primary Failure Modes (FM) of component failures (erosion, corrosion, fatigue and overload), we discussed how to read fractured surfaces. In this follow-up series, we will take a look at tips on how to collect, preserve and examine such failed components. I will reiterate my intent to make this series, as with the others, as…
“Failure Mode and Effect Analysis” (FMEA) and “Root Cause Analysis” (RCA) are becoming commonplace terms in work environments and in the literature. This article will demonstrate that these terms, while seemingly generic references to regulatory compliance, actually elicit various interpretations from individuals. Therefore, applications of FMEAs and RCAs will be equally disjointed, along with the inconsistency of the analysis results.…
In this blog, I discuss the RCA definition I used as a career analyst/investigator and explain why it makes sense to me. You decide if it makes sense in your facility. RCA is so ill-defined that no matter what people use to solve problems at their facilities (i.e.- troubleshooting, brainstorming, problem-solving or scribbling on a bar napkin)…they will call it…
There are various ways for us to improve our root cause analysis and take our reliability to the next level. Reliability professionals could do RCAs on a napkin, using kraft paper and post it notes, or utilizing fancy software. In the end, the analysis is only as good as the analyst! I have seen some pretty bad ‘RCA’s documented in…
Most of us have all worked at places with some degree of an ‘RCA’ effort. They likely all defined and practiced ‘RCA’ differently, but nonetheless they had something called RCA. What made one facility better at it than another? Why was one facility’s RCA more effective than another?
Chapter 1: Is All RCA the Same? An RCA myth shared by many managers is that RCA methods are all the same, when in fact they are NOT. The range of what constitutes an effective RCA method is vast. Some RCA techniques have minimal emphasis on establishing all the ways a problem can occur. Others provide a more comprehensive set…
Safety is often directly correlated with system or component reliability. Is that really the case? Find out what the experts and their data really says.
Understanding the reasons behind a company’s struggles isn’t always about not knowing how to fix them. Often, the true origins of these problems are hidden, and that’s why conducting a root cause analysis is so important for good leadership within an organization. When I give speeches around the world, I often poll my audiences about how they define ‘RCA’. The…
What does it take to be a good Reliability Engineer? Learn how to better utilize RCA thinking, develop Reliability habits, and how to build a business case with your management team. To increase your impact, you need to start thinking like an owner. Read on to learn The Secrets of Successful Reliability Engineers.