Reducing the reliability of equipment as a result of the reduction of the culture of production

Abstract

The study investigates the causes of breakdown of the supporting structure (frame) and transmission elements of the vibratory conveyor, developed by “Sigurd” CJSC (Odessa) and is in operation at one of the enterprises of Ukraine. In result of the studies, the places and nature of destruction were identified, as well as the force factors causing these destructions were calculated. The calculations were carried out at the basis of a calculation scheme compiled by the geometric parameters of the destructible elements of the supporting structure and the permissi-ble stresses for their materials. The calculations were reduced to determining the ultimate forces leading to the destruction of the element and assembly, and their comparison with the effort developed by the transmission. In addition, an analysis of the kinematics and dynamics of the vibration conveyor was made, for which its three-dimensional computer model was developed. Studies were conducted on its basis. The calculations and analysis showed that the cause of the destruction of structural elements was a violation in the kinematics of the device. It was found that there were no errors at the stages of designing and manufacturing of this equipment, and problems arose during assembly and installation, as the basic geometry requirements of both the units of the device and their connection points were not fulfilled. An expert assessment concluded that the enterprise has a low production culture and, as a consequence, a poor quality organization of the production process. There is no interaction between the units performing the work; there is no proper control over the contractors, as well as the necessary qualifications of the engineering and technical personnel. The developed set of measures, which includes the design, manufacture and use of measuring (calibration) tools and equipment, along with staff training, made it possible to rectify the current situation and get efficient equipment.