Aircraft Reliability Simulation for Maintenance Optimization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing maintenance scheduling for expensive mechanical assets like aircraft relies on inadequate and ad-hoc metrics, such as MTBUR, which fail to quantify the total system health and do not optimize preventive maintenance intervals effectively.

Innovation Solution

A computer-based method and system for simulating the effect of component replacements on aircraft reliability, using a user interface to select components for simulation, a computer-based model to forecast reliability changes, and providing comparisons between scheduled and forecasted reliability to users, integrated with a maintenance data database for accurate analysis.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional scheduled maintenance based on MTBUR is used, then preventive maintenance can be performed, but the total system health cannot be quantified and maintenance intervals cannot be optimized

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem health quantificationVSAvoidmaintenance optimization data

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces traditional mechanical/reliability-based maintenance scheduling with a comprehensive computer-based simulation system that uses multiple data streams (maintenance data, component life cycle data, availability data) to model and predict system health. The system substitutes simple MTBUR metrics with advanced simulation modeling that can quantify total system health and optimize maintenance intervals through what-if scenario analysis.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a computer-based simulation model as an intermediary between raw maintenance data and maintenance decision-making. This intermediary layer processes multiple data types, performs reliability calculations, and generates optimized maintenance schedules, thereby bridging the gap between available data and actionable maintenance insights.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If ad-hoc maintenance scheduling is used, then flexibility exists, but reliability analysis is inadequate and random metrics are used

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemaintenance scheduling flexibilityVSAvoidreliability metric accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a dynamic maintenance scheduling system that can adapt to different scenarios through what-if analysis. The simulation model dynamically adjusts maintenance intervals and strategies based on input data and user-defined scenarios, providing both flexibility in decision-making and precision through comprehensive reliability calculations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system allows users to change multiple parameters simultaneously (maintenance intervals, component replacement strategies, data weightings) and see the impact on overall system reliability through simulation. This enables precise measurement of reliability under different conditions while maintaining scheduling flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If component replacement is performed before failure, then preventive maintenance is achieved, but the complexity of analyzing all possible scenarios increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomponent failure preventionVSAvoidreliability analysis complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the complex reliability analysis into manageable components by analyzing individual component failure modes, then aggregating results to assess overall system health. The simulation model processes each component's reliability data separately before integrating findings, making the analysis more manageable while maintaining comprehensive coverage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates virtual copies of the actual aircraft fleet through simulation modeling. Instead of analyzing the real fleet directly, the system models virtual representations that can be manipulated, modified, and analyzed through various scenarios, reducing the complexity of direct analysis while maintaining accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS8340948B1Fleet performance optimization tool for aircraft health management

Publication Date: 2012.12.25 THE BOEING CO

AI summary

A computer-based method for simulating an overall effect of a component replacement on the reliability of a platform is described. The method includes determining a scheduled reliability for a platform based on a reliability associated with each of the removable components of the platform, selecting, via a user interface, at least one removable component of the platform for which replacement is to be simulated, determining, using a computer-based model, an effect the one or more replacements would have on the forecasted reliability for the platform, and providing a comparison of the forecasted reliability and the scheduled reliability to a user.