Method of maintaining components subject to fatigue failure
US6226597A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 16, 1998 |
| Grant date | May 1, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 16, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06Q10/20
- WIPO fieldIT methods for management
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method is provided for maintaining components subject to fatigue failure during in service use. The method uses statistical distributions (10) in a simulation of in service use (16) of a fleet of components to predict the failure rate (12) of the fleet over a fixed time increment (14, 26) for an assumed inspection program. These predictions are used to determine an operating plan (20), including an inspection program, that will maintain an acceptable failure rate by detecting components with fatigue indications and removing the components prior to failure (22). The inspection program provides actual fatigue data resulting from in service use (18). As the inspection data base grows, the simulation is revised (24, 48) to incorporate the data. The predicted failure rates and the operating plan (20) are then updated based on the revised simulation.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.