Abstract

AL SHAALANE, Amir  and  VLOK, P.J.. Application of the aviation derived maintenance free operating period concept in the South African mining industry. S. Afr. J. Ind. Eng. [online]. 2013, vol.24, n.3, pp.150-165. ISSN 2224-7890.

This paper analyses the use and possible application of the concept of the maintenance free operating period (MFOP), derived from the aviation sector, in the mining industry. The traditionally used reliability requirement, mean time between failure (MTBF), has been found to have several inherent problems with its application and definition. These problems are explained in this paper. It also provides a brief overview of the field of physical asset management (PAM), the overall domain of the research, and thereafter provides a characterisation of MTBF and its current use in the mining industry. MFOP is then introduced and contrasted with MTBF. A methodology for the analysis of MFOP performance is introduced and then applied to a case study conducted at an Anglo American platinum mine.

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