RamLog Application and Implementation Notes

An essential part of the design of a new system or plant is to identify the support and maintenance requirements, Life Cycle Cost (LCC) and Reliability, Availability and Maintainability (RAM) characteristics. It is also a prerequisite to effective maintenance and support management.  Logistic Support Analysis, Life Cycle Cost modelling, RAM modelling and failure/repair data collection are used to identify these requirements and characteristics. RamLog  provides an unique integrated solution to these processes throughout the design, development and operational phases.

Early design phases

During the early design phases of a system, the Logistic Support Analysis Import Capabilities is used to create system baseline data. The support simulation capability extracts this data from the database to simulate the proposed operation, support and maintenance concepts. By simulating the initial system, it enables the design authority to predict the LCC and RAM characteristics.  This provides an opportunity to optimise the design, set realistic LCC and RAM requirements and to design the support system. “What If” analysis can be performed to test and evaluate various concepts in order to select the best alternative. Reliability and Fault Tree analysis are also used to identify potential problem areas in the design.

Development phases

As the design matures, and system information becomes available, the analysis process assists in identifying the various potential failure modes, and maintenance tasks. Corrective and Preventative Maintenance tasks are identified using the Failure Mode Effects & Criticality Analysis (FMECA) and Reliability-Centred Maintenance (RCM) principles and philosophy. Detail task analysis identify support resource requirements and task procedures. This data is used to develop Illustrated Parts Breakdown (IBP) and Task Manuals (TM). The support simulation capability is used to predict the number of spare parts, personnel and support equipment required.  The failure recording capability collect and analyse actual failure. By comparing the predicted with the actual data, the design authority has the opportunity to update, change and validate the design.

Operational phases

The logistic database is a pre-requisite for effective maintenance and support management.  The failure recording capability extracts the baseline information from the logistic database.  The simulation capability has the ability to perform “What If” predictions based on the updated logistic data.  The failure recording capability can create job cards and capture failure and repair data. The Decision Making Model is validated by comparing the predicted to the measured results (expectation vs reality).