Modeling and simulation for condition based maintenance: a case study in Navy ship application

Improving system reliability/availability, and reducing the lifetime cost are two major requirements for the development of the US Navy's next generation ships. A condition based maintenance (CMB) technique can be used to achieve both goals by making optimal maintenance decisions based on real time monitoring. This paper introduces the conceptual architecture of the CBM system. Efficient fault detection, diagnosis (FDD), and/or prognosis of incipient faults are the most challenging tasks in this presented CBM system. Model based approaches are still the main stream in FDD research. Hence, modeling and simulation of the monitored equipment, especially when these equipment or components operate under fault conditions are essential tasks in CBM system development. A case study on permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM), which is an important component for ship propulsions, is provided to illustrate how modeling and simulation can be utilized in the entire CBM system design. Simulation is performed in Matlab® showing the effectiveness of the proposed model and the fault diagnosis method.