Preventative Maintenance - Effective Building Maintenance: Protection of Capital Assets - page 72

“working on or near” has been dropped and “limits of approach bound-
aries” are defined.
PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE METHODS
The equipment components of building systems can be evaluated
on a routine basis using various “predictive” maintenance technologies.
The goal of these inspections are twofold: (1) improve estimates of re-
maining service life and (2) help determine if current preventative main-
tenance procedures are as effective as they need to be. There are literally
dozens of predictive maintenance “tools” available, but generally they
fall into the following areas:
Chemical Analysis
Lubricating oil analysis is rotating equipment is a common and ef-
fective predictive maintenance tool. Oil samples, taken at routine and
regular intervals of equipment operation, are analyzed in order to track
the levels of trace chemicals and elements over time in order to determine
wear location and characteristics within the component.
Generally, this analysis evaluated the levels of certain elements
that can be used as “markers” to define problem conditions within the
component. Suspended of dissolved non-oil materials that are indicators
of contamination or excess wear include silicon, copper, iron, lead, tin,
aluminum, cadmium, molybdenum, nickel, titanium, etc. Contaminants
such as acids, dirt or sand, bacteria, fuel, water, or plastics in the oil are
indicators of a leaking lubrication system.
And, the condition of the oil itself must be determined. The oil must
be evaluated to determine if consistency, viscosity, and corrosion protec-
tion or cleaning additives are within normal ranges and do not indicate
oil failure.
Vibration Analysis
Every element of rotating equipment components vibrates at a
“characteristic” frequency. The combined effect of the these various com-
ponent frequencies produces a unique “signature” for the piece of equip-
ment.
Using a technique called “broad band analysis,” the vibration sig-
nature of the equipment item should be determined once the equipment