Journal of Recent Trends in Mechanics

Reliability and Preventive Maintenance Analysis of Case Packer and Carton Taping Machines

2026-10-09T11:25:13+00:00

Packaging lines depend on the reliable operation of mechanical, pneumatic, electrical, and control components, and the failure of even one small component can stop an entire production line. This study presents a failure-part analysis and preventive maintenance study of two machines commonly used together on a packaging line: a case packer machine, used to group and load bottles or products into cartons or cases, and a carton taping machine, used to close and seal the loaded cartons with adhesive tape. Using a functional decomposition and criticality-classification approach drawn from reliability-centred maintenance and failure mode and effect analysis practice, the study identifies individual failure-prone components, their typical failure modes, effects on production, detection methods and preventive or corrective actions, for a continuous operating basis of 24 hours per day, 7 days per week and 365 days per year (8,760 operating hours annually). A qualitative criticality classification and a structured preventive maintenance checklist are presented, together with a framework for future failure-data collection to support calculation of MTBF, MTTR and availability.

A Systematic Data-Driven Framework for Analysis and Control of Weld Defects in Manufacturing

2026-09-07T04:57:23+00:00

Welding defects remain a major source of rework, scrap, production interruption, and reliability risk in manufacturing. Their occurrence is rarely controlled by a single variable because welding quality depends on the interaction of process parameters, joint preparation, material condition, equipment health, operator practice, inspection, and environmental conditions. This study develops a systematic engineering framework for the analysis and control of weld defects by integrating defect classification, structured quality-data collection, Pareto prioritization, process stratification, Fishbone analysis, 5-Why reasoning, risk-based prioritization, and preventive control. The framework is supported by recent industrial and safety evidence and is designed for application to manual, semi-automatic, and automated welding operations. A manufacturing-oriented case application is used to demonstrate how published evidence can be converted into a practical quality-improvement workflow without treating secondary case results as original experimental observations. The analysis emphasizes prevention and root-cause verification rather than end-of-line detection alone. It also shows how conventional quality tools can be extended with process sensing, statistical monitoring, and automated inspection. The resulting framework provides a reproducible basis for welding-quality management and establishes a transition path from defect recording to data-enabled process control.

Probabilistic Fatigue Reliability Assessment of Critical Tubular Joints in Gulf of Guinea Steel Jacket Structures

2026-09-29T04:20:06+00:00

Deterministic fatigue calculations systematically overstate residual life because they neglect uncertainty in stress concentration factors, environmental loading, material properties, and corrosion rates. This paper develops a probabilistic reliability framework for the six critical tubular joints of a representative Gulf of Guinea steel jacket. Uncertainty is propagated by the First-Order Reliability Method (FORM) and Monte Carlo simulation using limit-state functions based on both S–N cumulative damage and fracture-mechanics crack growth. At the original design life of 25 years, the reliability index of the governing lower-bay K-joint (J5) falls to ( ), well below the conventional target of 3.1. Deterministic estimates overstate residual life by 28–34 %. FORM sensitivity analysis identifies the SCF bias factor as the dominant contributor to failure probability, followed by hot-spot stress range and the Paris-law coefficient. The resulting time-dependent component reliability indices provide the essential input for system-level reliability assessment and risk-based inspection planning of ageing Gulf of Guinea jackets.