An Overview of the Reliability Analysis Methods of Tunneling Equipment

Abstract

The absolute prevention of damage occurrence is not possible, thus reducing the probability of failure in a system and its impact is very important regarding the operation of a whole system. A failure in a system or in its subsystems makes negative results such as the stop in the production process, rising labor costs, and increasing the cost of maintenance. Reliability, in recent years, is mentioned as one of the most significant aspects of the quality of goods and services. In the past, reliability concerned sensitive and complex industries such as military, nuclear, and aerospace where the lack of their reliability could cause irreparable damage to the entire system. However, today it has become a universal concern. Tunneling equipment has grown in size and complexity and therefore, lack of reliability may cause massive costs to this equipment. Therefore, reliability determination in order to identify the components and subsystems with low reliability is essential. The aim of this study is to review the methods of tunneling equipment reliability analysis including statistical analysis, failure mode and effects analysis, Markov and fault tree methods. In addition, previous available research on the reliability analysis of tunneling equipment is presented.