Using delay-time analysis to study the maintenance problem of gearboxes

This paper is a report on the methodology for determining an efficient and effective policy to maintain gearboxes within a franchised bus company, the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1993) Limited (KMB) in Hong Kong. The preliminary findings are included in this paper. The objectives of this study are to investigate the possibility of improving the effectiveness of the maintenance policy for the gearboxes currently being operated by the company. In particular, the study addresses the issue of minimizing the maintenance cost of the gearboxes, estimating the reliability of the gearboxes, and predicting the effects on consequence measures like cost, downtime, etc. of the introduction of changes to the company’s current maintenance practices. In addition, the number of gearboxes that will break down each month in 1994 and the associated workload of the overhaul depot in 1994 will be predicted.