AiMT Advances in Military Technology

Vol. 5, No. 2, December 2010

New Trends in a Vehicle Maintenance System

J.Furch*
Department of Combat and Special Vehicles, University of Defence, Brno, Czech Republic

The manuscript was received on 14 May 2010 and was accepted after revision for publication on
14 September 2010.

Abstract:
In this article the author describes particular maintenance systems used in the past,
some of which are used also at present. The basic maintenance systems include
maintenance after use, preventive maintenance with predetermined intervals, and
conditioned-based preventive maintenance - predictive maintenance. These maintenance
systems were continuously improved and new ones were added – so called computerized
maintenance management system, reliability centred maintenance, and total productive
maintenance. The article further describes new methods of performing the maintenance
based on proactive maintenance with using telemaintenance, which may be simply
explained as remote-controlled maintenance.

Keywords:
Telemaintenance, maintenance, corrective maintenance, preventive maintenance,
predictive maintenance, computerized maintenance management system, reliability
centred maintenance, proactive maintenance.

1. Introduction
Quality and reliability control and the choice of optimal maintenance methods cannot
be realised at present without properly functioning technical diagnostics. Thanks to the
use of technical diagnostics, the maintenance itself has reached a new level which in a
sense may be labelled as a completely new, generation different maintenance system.
Technical literature provides a number of definitions of “maintenance”, more or
less influenced by their authors or by the force of a norm upon which they are based.
For the purpose of this article, the following definition according to [1] is used:
“Maintenance is a combination of all technical, administrative, and managerial
activities during a life cycle of an item aimed at maintaining the item in condition, or
returning it to condition, in which it can perform a required function.“

*
Corresponding author: Department of Combat and Special Vehicles, University of Defence,
Kounicova 65, CZ-662 10 Brno, Czech Republic, phone: +420 973 443 370, E-mail:
[email protected]
112 J. Furch

2. Development of Maintenance Approaches

A vehicle is either in usable or unusable condition. Our aim is to maintain the vehicle
in usable condition, which means to prevent its failures and limiting condition. This
aim should be achieved upon the lowest vehicle life cycle costs possible while keeping
inherent reliability of the vehicle for the whole operating time. This has been
manifested in particular maintenance systems since the 1930‟s until the present, which
is shown in Fig. 1. In general, maintenance system approaches may be divided as
follows:
1. Corrective maintenance system.
2. Preventive maintenance system – schedule based.
3. Preventive maintenance system – condition based:
a) predictive maintenance system,
b) proactive maintenance system.
System availability

Proactive Maintenance &

Telemaintenance
Prognostics & Health Management
(PHM)
Conditioned-Based Maintenance
(CBM)
Total Productive Maintenance
(TPM)
Reliability Centered Maintenance
(RCM) Management Systems
Computerized Maintenance
(CMMS)
Preventive Maintenance
(PM)
Inspection
Run to
failure

1930 1950 1970 1990 2000

years
Fig. 1 Development of maintenance approaches since the 1930’s

2.1. Corrective Maintenance System

This maintenance system represents the lowest level of the maintenance approach. It is
the maintenance performed after failure condition has been detected and it is aimed at
bringing the item to the condition in which it can perform required functions of the
given equipment. In practice this means that the equipment is operated without
supervision for its whole durability and maintenance is performed only when a failure
occurs. In this case repair costs are high, including loss due to the vehicle being out of
operation.
Corrective maintenance (1 st generation maintenance) may be applied to simple
and cheap machinery in which 100% backup and prompt repair or replacement can be
provided. This type of maintenance is obviously suitable only in these cases:
 The broken part may not be repaired or is not worth repairing.
 The machinery is cheap compared to maintenance costs.
 113 New Trends in a Vehicle Maintenance System 113

 The part replacement is very fast, technically feasible and economically

acceptable.
 No other maintenance method is possible to be performed.
In later years, corrective maintenance started to be completed with so-called
Inspection, the aim of which is to verify the compliance by measuring, monitoring,
checking or comparing significant characteristics of the vehicle performed during the
primary failure removal.
Costs

failure losses failure

caused by losses
production caused by
dropout production
repair costs dropout
repair costs

Time

Fig. 1 Cost diagram of corrective maintenance [2]

2.2. Preventive Maintenance System with Predetermined Interval

This system is still frequently used since in principle it comes from the theory of
reliability. Upon theoretical reliability and practical experience from a similar
technique fixed time intervals are set for performing the “service maintenance”
(“schedule-based maintenance“). Preventive maintenance is maintenance performed in
predetermined intervals or according to specified criteria, and aimed at reducing the
probability of failure or degradation of the item operation [1].
An advantage of this system is the prevention of failure and thus reduction of
corrective maintenance costs. However, preventive maintenance costs will increase.
The aim is to keep the maintenance costs as low as possible. In practice the total
maintenance costs are relatively high, but in the overwhelming majority of cases they
are lower than for “corrective maintenance”, see Figs. 2 and 3. Another advantage is
even distribution of costs in time, and the fact that costs incurred by a vehicle dropout
are lower and mostly planned in advance.
A fundamental drawback of scheduled maintenance is the fact that the period
(maintenance interval) is often shortened due to the reduction of failure risks and the
action is performed on a vehicle which does not exhibit wear signs. Therefore
maintenance costs increase and actions performed reduce planned durability of the
vehicle. It is true that every useless dismounting and mounting of a part or assembly,
or disassembling and assembling the whole vehicle, changes distribution of clearances
and brings further unknown static and dynamic loads to the run-in vehicle. This leads
to its increased wear and fatigue damage occurrence.
114 J. Furch

This maintenance system was gradually developed and completed in order to

achieve maintenance costs reduction and keep inherent reliability of the vehicle.
Higher efficiency was achieved by introducing so-called “Computerized Maintenance
Management System - CMMS” which leads to significant improvement of the
maintenance efficiency by making information on performing individual types of
maintenance more available [2].
The schedule-based preventive maintenance system was further completed with
so-called “Reliability Centred Maintenance – RCM”. This method is based on
a systematic approach for the identification of purposeful and effective tasks of
preventive maintenance which are performed in compliance with a specific set of
procedures for determining intervals between the maintenance tasks. The aim is to
improve overall safety, availability, and efficiency of the operation. It is also based on
monitoring the total vehicle life-cycle costs.
Further improvement of the schedule-based preventive maintenance system
brings so called “Total Productive Maintenance – TPM”. The performance of each
organisation depends especially on work organisation, utilisation of basic equipment,
and qualification level of its employees. To achieve maximal performance, the
organisation must utilize optimally the vehicle productivity. In terms of losses, the
vehicle maintenance represents a significant area where productivity should be
increased and resources for cost reduction sought for. TPM utilizes abilities and skills
of all employees with the aim to significantly reduce downtimes of vehicles and
individual losses in their usage. On this account, organisations are strongly advised to
use this progressive approach.
Costs

failure

losses
caused by
repair costs production
dropout
costs on costs on
preventive losses preventive
maintenance caused by maintenance
production
dropout

t1 t1 Time

Fig. 2 Cost diagram of preventive maintenance system with predetermined interval

2.3. Preventive Maintenance System – Condition Based

Technical condition based maintenance was gaining importance in past decades with
the expansion of technical diagnostics. It is preventive maintenance comprising of
monitoring performance or parameters and of consequent measures [1]. Its main
benefit resides in consistent removal of failures. Particular worn parts and parts or
whole assemblies in the risk of failure are repaired or replaced optimally in advance.
 115 New Trends in a Vehicle Maintenance System 115

Thus failure occurrence is prevented. This technical condition-based maintenance

system may be divided to:
a) predictive maintenance,
b) proactive maintenance.

ad a) Predictive maintenance
This is condition-based maintenance performed upon a prediction derived from an
analysis and evaluation of significant parameters of the item degradation [1].
An action is performed on the item only when it is technically and organisationally
justified sufficiently enough to maximally exhaust technical durability of the critical
part, and at the same time unexpected accident was prevented. In other words, this is
maintenance based on a statement that only that defect is to be repaired on the item,
which must be inevitably repaired and only when the repair is inevitable. The
maintenance itself is based on periodical evaluation of technical condition.
Maintenance mechanisms applied to the vehicle allow yielding information on the
change of technical condition of monitored parts. Such information is processed with
the aim to estimate remaining durability, and thus to commence the process of a
technical action (remedy). For monitoring signs of developing damages “Condition
Monitoring”, usage of specialised instruments is required, designed for collecting and
evaluating information. These instruments utilize so-called technical diagnosis. The
equipment is to be monitored and evaluated constantly, or at least periodically.
Costs of the maintenance itself are several times lower than in the previous
alternatives. The vehicle downtime for the time required for preventive maintenance is
usually negligible in comparison with corrective maintenance. However, initial costs
of purchasing the diagnostic systems are relatively high. Therefore it is necessary to
consider whether these costs of purchasing the technical diagnostics instruments
together with maintenance costs will or will not be higher than maintenance costs
without using technical diagnostics.

failure
Costs

costs of
technical
diagnostics
purchase

costs of
diagnostics
system repair costs
adjustment costs on losses
preventive caused by losses
costs of maintenance production caused by
diagnosing dropout production
the systems dropout

Time

Fig. 3 Cost diagram of predictive maintenance system

ad b) Proactive maintenance
Proactive maintenance is considered another higher level of maintenance. It is
completely based on the previous predictive maintenance which it further improves so
116 J. Furch

that its basis is the utilization of more complex technical diagnostics. Basically it is the
top current version of predictive maintenance based upon actual condition of the item
operated. It is analysed in detail in the following chapter.

3. New Trends in Maintenance Systems

One of the latest trends in maintenance systems is proactive maintenance completed
with so-called “telemaintenance”. The proactivity is manifested also in the fact that
new vehicles are designed with respect to an easy access to their integral diagnostics.
Possible connection of diagnostic systems, location of sensors and measuring spots for
monitoring vibrations, temperatures, lubricant sampling and detection of other selected
parameters should be considered during the vehicle design.
Proactive maintenance arose from the predictive maintenance type as a reaction
especially to long-term findings that a certain group of failures repeats periodically
upon clear causes. The causes include mainly the following:
 Incorrectly organised maintenance work.
 Incorrectly performed maintenance (technical operation in the vehicle).
 Unqualified operators and maintenance personnel.
The proactive maintenance type is aimed at keeping inherent reliability of the
vehicle on an acceptable level. As a source of information technical diagnostics is
utilized. The main objective of proactive maintenance is:
 Further reduction of maintenance and operational costs.
 Prevention of failure occurrence and thus extension of an interval to preventive
maintenance, meaning extension of the vehicle durability.
 Statistic control of accidental and systematic influences affecting the vehicle
operability.
Proactive approach means not only monitoring and evaluating the vehicle
condition, but especially performing such actions that prevent or at least postpone
damage occurrence. New aspects brought by proactive maintenance:
1) Emphasis laid on long-term stability of the vehicle technical condition. It is
monitored with diagnostic signals and statistical methods of their processing. The
objective is thus a complex reliability of the vehicle.
2) Consideration of the item technical condition with emphasis laid on future
development. The future condition is forecast a longer time ahead and with more
complex procession of diagnostic signals. Proactive maintenance lays stronger
emphasis on the analysis of the failure causes and on activities which should
prevent them in future.
3) Broad cooperation of all company sections related to the maintained item.
An important aspect is strengthening the team in the work of which a broader
spectrum of personnel responsible for the item activity participates. Proactive
maintenance holds elements of a system scientific approach, to which employed
methodical, metrological as well as software instruments must correspond.
4) Bigger interconnection of maintenance and production. Maintenance becomes
another tool of the process statistical regulation. Technical condition variation is
a source of the variation of qualitative indicators.
5) Qualitative broadening of predictive maintenance while utilizing its advances and
information potential. In this respect it shares with predictive maintenance
especially practical performance of individual activities.
 117 New Trends in a Vehicle Maintenance System 117

Period in which the risk

of failure exceeds
Limit value permissible limit
Value of diagnostic signal

Machine time

Data in the Quadratic

failure-free Data from the
trend of
operation damage
damage
development
period
Moment of the Linear trend of
damage beginning damage

Fig. 4 Linear and quadratic trend of parts damaging

The employment of proactive maintenance significantly decreases costs of the
introduction of diagnostic systems for periodic or constant monitoring of the vehicle
operation. Thanks to this the proactive maintenance costs are lower than predictive
maintenance costs. Utilisation of “on-board technical diagnostics” leads to the
reduction of failure occurrences, which further leads to the reduction of maintenance
costs. Further, time to a preventive action is extended and thanks to these indicators
costs of losses incurred by vehicle downtimes are lower. Indeed, the vehicle purchase
cost will increase. Therefore the main criterion is the total costs of the vehicle life
cycle which should be lower.
The latest trend in the maintenance area is so called “telemaintenance”, which
may be explained as remote-controlled maintenance employing the proactive
maintenance principle. In some publications, the term “Remote Diagnostics &
Maintenance (RD&M)” is used [4]. It is based on wireless transmission of technical
data about the vehicle. The main field of its utilization is in companies specializing in
long-distance transportation and also in military environment. This method enables on-
line monitoring of parameters upon sensors integrated in the vehicle and wireless
transmission of the information to a remote computer. This is utilized especially for
securing missions in a foreign territory.
118 J. Furch

Costs

failure

costs of on-
board
diagnostics
repair costs
losses
caused by
costs of costs on losses production
diagnosing preventive caused by dropout
the maintenance production
systems dropout

Time

Fig. 5 Cost diagram of the proactive maintenance system

Telemaintenance may be divided to the following four levels:
1. Diagnosed vehicle with a driver.
2. Support logistics centre where a computer processing the diagnostic
information is located.
3. Experts performing the maintenance on the vehicle.
4. Vehicle manufacturer who supplies a technical database including drawings and
technological procedures for maintenance.

Fig. 6 Telemaintenance system diagram [4]

 119 New Trends in a Vehicle Maintenance System 119

Fig. 7 shows a schematic telemaintenance system based on wireless transmission of

diagnosed data from the vehicle to the telemaintenance logistics centre and to the
vehicle user. The vehicle electronic control unit makes performance indicators and
error codes accessible for an analysis; these are sent to the logistics centre. Here, in
case of error messages an advisor informs the driver about the problem severity and
advises on the possible problem removal or provides necessary service support. It
means the advisor ensures the vehicle maintenance or repair in place with the use of a
mobile emergency service, or arranges maintenance in the maintenance and repair
centre. If necessary, the logistics centre further communicates with the vehicle
manufacturer who supplies the centre with new data materials for particular vehicle
types.

4. Conclusion
The purpose of this article is to introduce the development of particular maintenance
approaches since the beginning of the 20 th century to the present. It includes
advantages and disadvantages of performing maintenance after use, preventive
maintenance with predetermined interval, predictive maintenance and proactive
maintenance. Further the article presents diagrams showing costs spent on preventive
maintenance, corrective maintenance, losses caused by the vehicle dropout, and costs
of diagnostics. The final part brings a new approach to maintenance based on on-board
diagnostics, which is on-line testing of diagnostic signals and their wireless
transmission to the telemaintenance logistics centre.

References
[1] ČSN EN 13306:2002, Maintenance terminology.
[2] VDOLEČEK F. Technical Diagnostic in Maintenance Systems. Automa, 2008,
no. 5, p. 30-32. ISSN 1210-9592.
[3] LEVITT, J. Complete Guide to Preventive and Predictive Maintenance. New
York : Industrial Press, 2003. 210 p. ISBN 0-8311-3154-3.
[4] YOU, S., KRAGE, M., and JALICS L. Overview of Remote Diagnosis and
Maintenance for Automotive Systems. 2005 SAE International, 2005. p. 10.

Acknowledgement
The work presented in this paper has been supported by the Ministry of Defence of the
Czech Republic (research project No. MO0FVT0000401).