Analysis of Sintering Plant Using R.A.M.S: COIT20275 Case Study

This report presents a case study analyzing a sintering plant using the R.A.M.S (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety) approach. The study focuses on the application of reliability allocation within the plant's system. It explores the preliminary design phase, emphasizing the importance of reliability from the outset, and details the sintering production process, including inputs, supporting mechanisms, staging, and outputs. The report also delves into methods for functional analysis, such as the selection of lubricants and the consideration of usability and maintainability in the plant's design. Furthermore, it covers functional allocation methods and reliability design aspects, discussing the advantages of the proposed methods and the impact of factors like frequency response and FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) on system performance and reliability. The study aims to improve the sintering plant's efficiency and productivity by optimizing its reliability and maintenance strategies.

SYSTEM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING COIT20275
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Case Study: Analysis of the Sintering Plant using R.A.M.S
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
There has been comprehensive research work on the techniques of the reliability allocation in the
case of the project development. This concept has by extension affected the maintenance and as
well as the system management even in the case of very complicated systems which require
analysis as well as allocations. This has by extension assisted in the operating aspect and
consequently leading to the improved productivity of the project. This implies that from the
consideration, the allocation which is meant for the reliability must be attached to the
methodology. The focus remains sintering of the powder.
The production will tend to rely on the sub-division of the whole system hence it is possible to
effectively perform the drying process of the dusts. In this particular case, the primary element is
the piston pump. This is used in the realization of the required vacuum with the subsequent
recovery element which is basically the alcohol. The system of the reliability is handled just from
the beginning of the sub-system so that reliability can be achieved for the whole system.

Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................3
AIM AND OBJECTIVES..................................................................................................................................3
Preliminary Design...................................................................................................................................3
Purpose...................................................................................................................................................4
The process of the products of the Sintering Production....................................................................4
Inputs...................................................................................................................................................4
Supporting Mechanism........................................................................................................................4
Staging.................................................................................................................................................5
Output.................................................................................................................................................5
Methods or Approaches for the Functional Analysis...................................................................................5
Design for Usability..............................................................................................................................6
Design for maintenance.......................................................................................................................7
The functional allocation methods or approaches................................................................................10
Reliability design................................................................................................................................10
The advantages of the proposed methods........................................................................................13
CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................................15

INTRODUCTION
In order for the company to succeed, it must be in a position to offer satisfactory services to the
customers. This kind of the satisfaction will come in the form of services, pricing and quality.
The primary aspect of this particular approach is anchored on reliability as well as
maintainability. In the past years there has been generation of latest methodologies and
techniques which effectively guarantee reliability as well as maintenance. When such kind of the
concepts are accepted, the rate of stops by the machines will be stopped besides having relatively
lower maintenance cost. The design concept utilized for this particular case included Preliminary
design, Design for usability, design for the maintainability and finally design for reliability. The
indication the kind of application has made it very possible especially for many industries in the
identifications of the weakness of the whole planning phase. (Ashlagi and Shi 2015). Therefore,
the following specific study indicates the analysis of the R.A,M system applications within the
sintering firm where the case study improves its own effectiveness.
THE MAIN OBJECTIVES AND AIMS OF R.A.M.S.
one of the major aims is to ensure the presentation of R.A.M.S. the sintering plant analysis of
the ceramic powder by the application of the current method of Allocation Reliability while
making reference to case studies for secondary data.

Preliminary Design
The design concept used focused on the reliability jut from the preliminary design of a single
sub-system. It was through this approach that the achievement of the whole system reliability
was done. Fixation of the reliability value was done, therefore ensuring a perfect performance of
each component so as to be got by estimation.
Another approach embracing the preliminary design concept involved the allocation technique
presentation in consideration with reliability. This technique is more advantageous in that it uses
minimum time and cost thus considered to be more cost effective. Although there has never been
a universal technique in all the recorded literature concerning the system management, the e
RAMS analysis being used by a firm so as to ensure the total system coverage. (Yılmaz and
Özkol 2018).
Purpose
 The key purpose was to obtain the sintering products.
The sintering production process
According to most scholars, one of the best technologies which have been identified to be
effective metal ceramic production may be based on the metallurgy of the powder. Therefore,
this may start from a powder that may have undergone through some operations for example
pressing and sintering. To ensure a successful process, the regulation of the atmosphere must be
done properly. As example of ensuring proper regulations, the powder temperatures can be
maintained in order to meet the fusion optimum requirements (Yi et al 2017).
The required input
The starting material of the sintering process is metal carbide.

Mechanism of support
These involve:
Mechanical processes which in most case consist crushing grinding, gritting as well as other
thing that can be done to enhanced tool maintenance.
The process which deals with chemical applications
The chemical processes such as thermal reduction, precipitation, replacement as well as final
condensation were applied to ensure that the entire processes facilitated (Von, Nel and Meyer
2017).
The process of staging.
Staging is sub-divided into many steps. The powder is mixed by a spherical mill prior to its
introduction to the compaction system after then a correct amount of paraffin lubricant is added.
While alcohol may be used as the best lubricant where there is a need of a solvent. The addition
of alcohol must be done in a uniform manner so as to give a uniform powder mass. Therefore,
this contribute to the formation of a fluid mixture. The paraffin applied cover the particles of
powder of the solvent removal therefore, ensuring the union as well as compaction in the process
of pressing phase together with the extrusion phase. (Neureiter et al 2016).
The desired output
This extrusion process enables hydraulic pressing in the subsequent phase which generates
pieces which are box-shaped are generally long. The removal of the lubricant from the product
generated is being done before they are presented as the presented items. This ensures the

achievement of the resistance property during moulding stage. This cycle is being done inside
the furnace of induction which is also resistance to the effective mixes of the powder. Thus in
most cases the output is in form of solid body (Chen et al 2015).
Methods or Approaches for the Functional Analysis
The functional analysis of this particular plant focused on the lubricant types. The selection of
the lubricant was guided for both solids and solvents. This was the reason for the choice of
alcohol and paraffin depending on the target object. The use of paraffin was best recommended
in the case of the powder. The density as well as hardness of the selective parts which are laser-
sintered is usually influenced by various parameters of sintering. The parameters of the sintering
selection were found to play very important roles as far as achieving the accuracy and the
precision of the functional parts in the end is concerned.
Considering that the produced or the manufactured parts are used widely in the automobiles,
medicine and aerospace, their production must follow the standards parts. The design for
usability has effectively considered the exact requirements in every field of the applications. In
this design, the key parameters which were considered for the usability included the scan
spacing, hatch length, temperature of the bed, the power of laser and the scan count.

Figure 1: Schematic illustrations for the functional analysis (Yılmaz and Özkol 2018).
The required activities for the usability included pumping and pressing. These were the main
factors which were considered for the design for the usability. In this regard, the other part of the
machine including the flywheel which operates in collaboration with the camshaft component
was thus properly checked for their proper connection. The system of the system of the air intake
as well as release was adjusted regularly just to improve on the performance of the machine.
Monitoring of the machine component rotation per minute, evaluation of the power of the used
motor and the level of the operation pressure which basically became the function of the entire
weight of the machine were factored in in the design for usability
Design for maintenance
The strategy of maintenance was regarded as one of the key aspects which make its contribution
by ensuring that there is a pre-established capacity for production in the system of the industries.
The design for maintenance was employed t reduce the cost of the organization and production

without necessarily compromising the satisfaction of the customer hence leading to the loss of
the share of the market. The study thus concentrated on the new model which had been utilized
in this particular case study. In this approach, there is adequate maintenance approach
distribution to the unit of the system and has been given much consideration as one of the factors
which determines the maintenance and availability of the equipment. The design for maintenance
thus allowed for other activities like lubrication to be carried out. This incorporated:
 The product tree definition
 Functional Analysis
 Functional – FMECA.
Figure 2: Illustration of the significant points(Von Solms, Nel and Meyer 2017)
The system was assembled with the guidance of the dynamic stability through the use of the
Matlab so as to reflect the conventional systems of power. This was the best possible manner of

keeping the model of the source in the domain of the time as well as using the steady state
frequency domain in the representation of the model of the electrical model.
In other approaches, the usual mechanism was adopted particularly for the case of the dynamic
studies. This was coupled with the negligence of the fast transient. As part of the electric
network, it was represented by the matrix of admittance in the reference frame of the figure
above (Liu and Wang 2016). The developed methodology in the evaluation of the possible
increase in the generation of wind in the case of sintering technology was strategically identified.
The process of the simulation was carried out through the use of the Matlab tool. The primary
obtained result in connection to the deviation of the frequency which followed a sudden drop in
the speed of the wind from 9.5 to 6 m/s as illustrated in the diagram below:
Figure 3: Frequency response of the system (Tal et al 2014)
The main result which was obtained in regard to the deviation of the frequency was very
dynamic. In fact in the original condition, there was drop of the same frequency value to 49.40

Hz. This implies that the units of the diesel were responsible for the control of the frequency
(Sindhgatta, Ghose and Dam 2016).
The FMEA is the support techniques given to the system critical examination in the period of
the whole phase of its own life. The information which was supplied help in the determination
for the priorities for the process control as well as in establishing inspections within installation
together with construction duration. Though functional module that estimates the factors of
characterization of the MFI methods included simulation approach in handing the crucial
parts(dos Santos et al 2016). Therefore, it was considered necessary because it allow the
allocation of the criticalities affecting the system reliability. With concern to this document, the
discovery that realizing FMEA while applying the drawn up module since it was beneficial
particularly in the system that is being examined and being prepared in accordance to the
pursued purpose (Liebel et al 2016). The needed information by the module as divided as shown
in the columns
 Element denomination
 The function done by the element.
 Causes and ways of failure
 The working elements ways
 The failure effect
 The methods that point out failure
 The gravity classes
 Foreseen compensatory measures.

The functional allocation methods or approaches
Reliability design
Several factors were considered including reliability index in the IFM. Through the non-process
approach, there were illustrations on the understanding of the functions and how it led to the
improvement of the performance of the organization itself. The powder sintering plants have
been in existence for very long time. It is regrettable however that that people who are skilled
cannot still maximizes the output. The reason why this has been happening is because the
operations of the plants have been dominated by the normal activities which are easily
predictable. In other words, the “functions” which are meant for both allocation and analysis for
the customers have been missed. Similarly, the manufacturers of metals or ceramics made from
these particular products have never bothered to have new approaches of improving the quality
of their product.(Jackson and Wilkerson 2016).
.