MTain Projects Page

MTain Projects
MTain has experience in many phases and elements of the reliability, maintainability, safety and logistics engineering field, and on many different types of products, using different technologies. Imbedded in this experience are activities for the development of proposals for various projects, including their respective planning, personnel resources and work breakdown structure (WBS) elements, and the identification of the support and effort required from suppliers and key subcontractors. This experience is also extended to the actual implementation and execution of various projects and their related tasks and activities. The activities were tailored to meet specifically the objectives and needs for each project. Many other aspects have also been covered, from the R&M and logistics assessment of many other systems and equipment, development and Off-The-Shelf (or Non-Developmental Items (NDI)). All this has been achieved in engineering environments of varying dynamics, and has included:

Development of reliability and maintainability (R&M) and logistics engineering program plans, with supporting program strategies.
Proposal developments, for the specific inclusion of reliability and maintainability and logistics engineering activities. Many proposal have resulted in an effort required to be implemented "upfront" to address fundamental R&M and logistics engineering concerns. The R&M issues would include the assessment of a proposed system (or equipment) architecture, to determine if it would achieved the required reliability performance requirements. The logistics assessments have involved implementing preliminary maintenance concepts and an assessing the anticipated Life Cycle Cost (LCC) factors.
Assessment and acquisition process of various reliability, maintainability and logistics software tools and databases
Development of departmental reliability, maintainability, logistics engineering procedures used for IS0 9001 accreditation

The following lists in detail some of the projects, that MTain (personnel) have had direct experience and involvement in. Given for each of the projects, is their unique objectives, the approach taken and the final conclusion.

PROJECT:	Ship Control and Surveillance System (Ice Breaker)
OBJECTIVE:	Ensure that there were no single points of failure within the system's redundant architecture.
APPROACH:	Implement an Failure Modes Effects and Criticality Analysis and reliability prediction.
CONCLUSION:	Detailed reliability report.

PROJECT:	UHF/VHF TX/RX radio set
OBJECTIVE:	Determine if a manufacturer could achieve an inherent (predicted) reliability target using lower quality (not military spec)components.
APPROACH:	Reliability prediction as per the full stress method in MIL-HDBK-217
CONCLUSION:	The result of this effort determined that the manufacture could not used just commercial quality electronic components, to meet contractual specification requirements.

PROJECT:	Space Station Mobile Servicing System (Canada Arm II)
OBJECTIVE:	Determine that major components of the Space Station Mobile Servicing System meet the requirements as detailed by NASA (e.g. redundancy and fail safe).
APPROACH:	Reliability analyses (included a FMEA and Critical Item List) at the conceptual and early design phase of electronic, electro-mechanical and mechanical components of major assemblies such as the Latching End Effector, Joints, Video etc.
CONCLUSION:	Provide an ongoing interactive input during the design phase.

PROJECT:	British Rail Train (DMU 158) (door, traction and braking control systems)
OBJECTIVE:	Capture the reliability characteristics for the door, traction and braking control systems for new passenger trains under development by British Rail Engineering Ltd., Derby, England.
APPROACH:	Implement various reliability analyses (FMECA, CIL and predictions).
CONCLUSION:	Detailed reliability report, containing the results of the FMECA and reliability prediction.

PROJECT:	European Fighter Aircraft Project (EFA) (miscellaneous systems and components)
OBJECTIVE:	Conduct reliability assessments to determine reliability characteristics, taken into consideration criticality of failures.
APPROACH:	Reliability analyses on miscellaneous systems and components for the for various subcontractors.
CONCLUSION:	Development of contractual reliability engineering reports.

PROJECT:	Challenger II Main Battle Tank Project: Miscellaneous subsystems
OBJECTIVE:	Determine if these subsystems achieve the reliability requirements as detailed in their respective specification.
APPROACH:	Reliability analyses performed on miscellaneous subsystems, such as the Air Conditioning Unit, Commanders Armour Hood Control System and the Ammunition Selection System.
CONCLUSION:	Detailed reliability reports were developed and furnished, as where necessary recommended were provided, for example for the Air Conditioner Unit, recommendations were made remove potential failure form the design. In this instance, ensure that the design using continuos tubing rather than mechanical joint, where possible and enhance the vibration characteristics by ensuring the adequate use of rubber isolators.

PROJECT:	BOWMAN Challenger II Main Battle Tank; BIT Effectiveness Assessment
OBJECTIVE:	To determine the BIT effectiveness of the BOWMAN equipment at the Challenger II.
APPROACH:	Involved Process, which took the subordinate individual BOWMAN radio equipment FMECAs and rolled them up to the platform level FMECAs. This was used to determine the BIT coverage across the system.
CONCLUSION:	Detailed reliability reports were developed and furnished.

PROJECT:	Aircraft Avionics - Sensor Air Data and Turbine Inlet Temperature Indicator
OBJECTIVE:	Assess the MTBF, by prediction, against the contractual requirements.
APPROACH:	Performed Parts Count method as per MIL-HDBK-217.
CONCLUSION:	Detailed reliability reports were developed and furnished.

PROJECT:	Helicopter Radar Warning Receiver
OBJECTIVE:	To demonstrate through analysis the Built-In-Test effectiveness.
APPROACH:	Implement an Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis (as per MIL-STD-1629) and reliability prediction (as per MIL-HDBK-217). The FMECA was conducted down to a functional level for each circuit card assembly, and each functional failure mode was assessed to determine if the BIT would detect it. This the detection rate was weighted using the failure rate.
CONCLUSION:	The effectiveness was proven to be better than the requirement, in providing an end-to-end GO-No GO BIT status.

PROJECT:	CP140 Synthetic Aperture Radar (developmental model)
OBJECTIVE:	Demonstrate through analysis the attribute provided for the human maintainer.
APPROACH:	Conduct an assessment of the design, by using the guidelines as detailed in MIL-STD-1472, and conducting an maintainability assessment which involved an analysis to determine the Mean-Time-To-Repair (MTTR) and the assessment of the Built-In-Test (BIT) capability and effectiveness. This included the detection rate and the ability to isolate to an offending replaceable assembly.
CONCLUSION:	Human Engineering Design Approach Document -Maintainer (HEDAD-M).

PROJECT:	Various Systems/ Equipment: (e.g. Air Traffic Control Consoles, RADAR systems, Communication systems etc.)
OBJECTIVE:	Undertake an assessment of the maintainability characteristics various systems, developmental and Off-The-Shelf.
APPROACH:	Implement maintainability engineering analysis, to determine parameters such as Mean-Time-To-Repair (MTTR), BIT effectiveness etc.
CONCLUSION:	Detailed maintainability engineering reports.

PROJECT:	Bowman System for the British Army
OBJECTIVE:	Determine the BOWMAN equipment installation will support the Level 1, maintenance requirements (MTTR), in the Warrior FV510 platform.
APPROACH:	Undertake an Ease of Maintenance Assessment to determine that the BOWMAN radio equipment (HF/ VHF) can be readily assessable for remove and replace action
CONCLUSION:	Report developed and fed activity into the platform design.

PROJECT:	Additional Maintenance assessment for various equipment and system
OBJECTIVE:	Generally to ensure that program maintainability requirements were been achieved.
APPROACH:	Conducted maintenance assessment through analyses and demonstrations.
CONCLUSION:	Detailed maintainability engineering reports.

PROJECT:	Canadian Army Missile System, LSAR overhaul
OBJECTIVE:	To recover a dormant and obsolete LSAR, required to support the in-service support phase.
APPROACH:	Access the discrepancy between the current system configuration and the old LSAR Establish a recovery plan, to include effort and training needs and build a team. Developed update standards and procedures Secure the budget.
CONCLUSION:	LSAR was updated.

PROJECT:	Intention Space Station (Antennas)
OBJECTIVE:	Determine the spares requirement for three types of Antennae (Orbital Replacement Units (ORU) (e.g Ku-band), to support the repair and overhaul, as developed by EMS Technologies Canada.
APPROACH:	Reviewed the parts list, and SRAs, and conducted a Level of Repair Analysis, to optimize the most cost effective approach, given consideration to cost and reliability. This was for a thirteen years support period.
CONCLUSION:	Furnish three reports and with the findings and recommendation, including a recommended parts list, repairable and non-repairables list.

PROJECT:	Indonesian Air Traffic Control System
OBJECTIVE:	Implement logistics engineering effort to address the customer's requirements
APPROACH:	Implement a project management function which included reviewing contract requirements, developing vendor requirements, logistics support and provisioning plans etc.
CONCLUSION:	Development of various documents, including logistics program plans, statement of work elements and other contractual supporting documentation.

PROJECT:	Canadian Patrol Frigate: Primary Electrical Switchboards
OBJECTIVE:	Define the required support resources required for the operations and maintenance of this system.
APPROACH:	Implemented Logistics Support Analyses (LSA, LORA, RCM, FMEA, IPL etc.).
CONCLUSION:	Completed LSA documents and detailed maintenance plans.

PROJECT:	Canadian Patrol Frigate: Ships Main Steering Control
OBJECTIVE:	Define the required support resources required for the operations and maintenance of this system (Note this actual system, by Wagner Engineering, was replaced by an system from another vendor).
APPROACH:	Implemented Logistics Support Analyses (LSA, LORA, RCM, FMEA, IPL etc.).
CONCLUSION:	Completed LSA documents and detailed maintenance plans.

PROJECT:	Canadian Patrol Frigate: Helicopter Hauldown System. (by Indal Technology, Ontario, Canada)
OBJECTIVE:	Define the required support resources required for the operations and maintenance of this system.
APPROACH:	Implemented Logistics Support Analyses (LSA, LORA, RCM, FMEA, IPL etc.).
CONCLUSION:	Completed LSA documents and detailed maintenance plans.

PROJECT:	Space Station Mobile Servicing System: Grapple Fixtures (Space Station program)
OBJECTIVE:	Ensure that there were no critical (catastrophic) failures modes within the design and a fail safe criteria is observed.
APPROACH:	Conduct a FMEA and Hazard Analysis, of the dynamic components of the system and human interaction.
CONCLUSION:	Detailed safety report.

PROJECT:	Mobile Base Servicing System (Space Station program)
OBJECTIVE:	Ensure that there were no failures modes in the design of this test fixture which could damage the test article. The test article was the Mobile Base Servicing System, which itself was a high valued asset, with a critical manufacture process.
APPROACH:	Conduct a FMEA and Hazard Analysis, of the dynamic components of the system and human interaction.
CONCLUSION:	Detailed safety report, providing recommendation, which included some of the measuring devices (strain gauges) should be used by the controlling software, in the event that mechanical loads and pressure exceeds predefined safety limits, due to a failure in the control circuitry.

PROJECT:	British Rail Train (DMU 158) (door, traction and braking control systems)
OBJECTIVE:	Ensure that the probability of occurrence of a predefined safety events (e,g, premature opening of the train doors) are within the contractual requirements.
APPROACH:	Reliability and safety analyses such as Fault Tree Analysis, reliability predictions and FMECA for these new systems.
CONCLUSION:	Detailed safety (and reliability) report.