The Korean Railroad Research Institute (KRRI) developed the rubber-tired AGT system (Model: K-AGT) between 1999 and 2005.
The K-AGT is a light rail transit system does not require a driver and generally operates on an elevated railroad for transporting
passengers. Accidents caused by driverless vehicles can severely affect social confidence, safety and economy. Therefore,
it is very important to minimize the occurrences of such faults, and to accurately perform detailed maintenance tasks and
thoroughly investigate the cause of any repeated failures. This research develops the web-based reliability centered maintenance
(RCM) system for the K-AGT train system. The framework of the RCM system is based on performing a failure mode and effects
analyses (FMEA) procedure on all the sub-systems in the K-AGT system. Out of the devices that have a low reliability, the
high failure ranked devices are included high on the list for performing the overall maintenance plans. Through registration
of historical failure data and the reliability indexes, the results of the FMEA can be updated. Such a process is repeated
continuously and can achieve very accurate predictions for device operational lifetimes and failure rates. Also, the RCM system
is designed so that workers can refer to the expert system for the latest procedures to perform the required diagnosis and
repair of any failure. The overall RCM system consists of a failure/task management system, a preventive maintenance system,
an expert system, a material management system, and an approval system. This research describes the development of the preventive
maintenance system and the expert system that have been produced because these are the main functions for the RCM system.
Keywords Failure rate - FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) - MTBF (Mean Time between Failures) - Preventive maintenance system - Expert system - RCM (Reliability Centered Maintenance)
This paper was recommended for publication in revised form by Associate Editor Dae-Eun Kim
Myung-Won Suh is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering. During 1986–1988, he worked for Ford motor company as researcher. From 1989–1995,
he worked in technical center of KIA motors. He took a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Seoul National University
and an MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from KAIST, South Korea. He obtained his Doctorate at the University of Michigan,
USA, in 1989. His research areas include structure and system optimization, advanced safety vehicle and reliability analysis
& optimization.
Chul-Ho Bae is a PhD candidate at Sungkyunkwan University in Suwon, South Korea. He accomplished fellowship work as researcher at Mississippi
State University, USA, in 2003 and 2005. He worked in Institute of Advanced Machi-nery and Technology (IMAT) as a Research
Assistant in 2004. He was a part time Lecturer in computer aided Mechanical Engineering of Ansan College of Technology, Suwon
Science College, and Osan College during 2004–2005. He took a BS Degree in Mechanical Design and an MS Degree in Mechanical
Engineering from the Sungkyunkwan University. His research interests include computer aided engineering, reliability engineering,
and optimization.