2
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January - February 2018
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www.machinerylubrication.com
O il Analysis
AS I SEE IT
Jim Fitch
|
Noria Corporation
How to Make Your
Oil Analysis Program
Produce More Alerts
I want bad news fast. Why?
Problems tend to compound.
Rarely do they heal themselves.
Instead, the worse things get,
the faster they get worse. As time passes, the
cost of repair and lost production can soar
exponentially.
Maintenance resources need focus and
preemptive timing. e longer you wait to
respond to what causes failure, the more
machine conditions take over control of
your schedule and budget. Fix the roof while
the sun is shining. It's not just about keeping
machines running but rather keeping them
running at the lowest possible cost.
Condition monitoring is an essential
troubleshooting tool. It provides examina-
tion skills to find the cause or source of an
impending problem. When issues are caught
early, you have the luxury of convenience and
the option of simple remedies, usually with
minimal (if any) business interruption.
The Wisdom of Early Detec-
tion — Not Just-in-Time
Detection
Several years ago, I performed a root
cause analysis on a rash of gearbox failures
in helicopters used for the logging industry
(heli-logging). ese failures were the cause
of serious accidents and human casualties.
Because of the high power density of these
gearboxes, mild problems could quickly esca-
late into life-threatening conditions.
You can't
fix a
problem
that you
can't see."
"