In the context of mining, drilling is the process of making holes in the face and walls of underground mine rooms, to prepare those rooms for the subsequent operation, which is the charging process. Due to the nature of the task, drilling incurs a high number of drilling rig failures. Through a combination of a harsh environment (characterised by dust, high humidity, etc.), the operating context, and reliability and maintainability issues, drilling rigs are identified as a major contributor to unplanned downtime.The purpose of the research performed for this thesis has been to develop methods that can be used to identify the problems affecting drilling rig downtime and to identify the economic lifetime of drilling rigs. New models have been developed for calculating the optimum replacement time of drilling rigs. These models can also be used for other machines which have repairable or replaceable components. Based on an analysis performed in a case study, a life cycle cost (LCC) optimization model has been developed, taking the most important factors affecting the economic replacement time of drilling rigs into consideration. To this end, research literature studies, case studies, and simulation studies have been performed, interviews have been held, observations have been made and data have been collected. For the data analysis, theories and methodologies within reliability, maintainability, ergonomics and optimization have been combined with the best practices from the related industries.Firstly, this thesis analyses the downtime of the studied drilling rigs, with the precision and uncertainty of the estimation at a given confidence level, along with the factors influencing the failures. Secondly, the thesis identifies components that significantly contribute to the downtime and the reason for that downtime (maintainability and/or reliability problems). Based on the failure analysis, some minor suggestions have been made as to how to improve the critical components of the drilling rig. Thirdly, a new method is proposed that can help decision makers to identify the replacement time of reparable equipment from an economic point of view. Finally, the thesis proposes a method using the artificial neural network (ANN) for predicting the economic lifetime of drilling rigs through a series of basic weights and response functions. This ANN-based method can be made available to engineers without the use of complicated software.Most of the results are related to specific industrial and scientific challenges, such as planning for cost-effectiveness. The results of the case study are promising for the possibility of making a significant reduction in the LCC by optimizing the lifetime. The results have been verified through interaction with experienced practitioners from both the manufacturer and the mining company using the drilling rig in question. / Godkänd; 2014; Bibliografisk uppgift: Hussan Al-Chalabi received a B.Sc.Eng. degree in mechanical engineering from Mosul University, Iraq, in 1994 and an M.Sc degree in mechanical engineering in thermal power from Mosul University, Iraq, in 2008. Then he joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Mosul University as a lecturer. In October 2010, he joined the Division of Operation, Maintenance and Acoustics at Lule°a University of Technology as a doctoral student.; 20141009 (hasham); Nedanstående person kommer att disputera för avläggande av teknologie doktorsexamen. Namn: Hussan Al-Chalabi Ämne: Drift och underhållsteknik/Operation and Maintenance Uppsats: Reliability and Life Cycle Cost Modelling of Mining Drilling Rigs Opponent: Professor emeritus Jan-Gunnar Persson, Institutionen för maskinkonstruktion, Kungliga tekniska högskolan, Stockholm Ordförande: Professor Jan Lundberg, Avd för drift, underhåll och akustik, Institutionen för samhällsbyggnad och naturresurser, Luleå tekniska universitet Tid: Fredag den 12 december 2014 kl 10.00 Plats: F1031, Luleå tekniska universitet

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Railway infrastructure is a complex system which comprises different subsystems. Long life span is one of the important aspects of this prime mode of transport. However, the useful life of its assets is highly dependent on the maintenance and renewal strategy used during the assets’ life cycle. Today’s demands on the railway industry call for increased capacity, including more trains, travelling at higher speeds with higher axle loads. This increased usage results in higher degradation of railway assets and higher maintenance costs. Formerly, railway maintenance procedures were usually planned based on the knowledge and experience of the infrastructure owner. The main goal was to provide a high level of safety, and there was little concern for economic issues. Today, however, the deregulated competitive environment and budget limitations are forcing railway infrastructures to move from safety limits to cost-effective maintenance limits to optimise operation and maintenance procedures. The goal is to make operation and maintenance cost-effective while still meeting high safety standards.One of the main parameters to assure railway safety and comfortable railway service is to maintain high quality of track geometry. Poor quality of track geometry, directly or indirectly, may result in safety problems, speed reduction, traffic disruption, greater maintenance cost and higher degradation rate of the other railway components (e.g. rails, wheels, switches and crossings etc.). The aim of this study is to develop a methodology to optimise track geometry maintenance by specifying cost-effective maintenance limits. The methodology is based on reliability and cost analysis and supports the maintenance decision-making process. The thesis presents a state-of-the-art review of track geometry degradation and maintenance optimisation models. It also includes a case study carried out on the iron ore line in the north of Sweden to analyse the track geometry degradation and discuss possible reasons for the distribution of failures along the track over a year. It describes Trafikverket’s (Swedish Transport Administration) maintenance strategy regarding measuring, reporting on and improving track quality, and it evaluates the efficiency of this strategy. It introduces two new approaches to analyse the geometrical degradation of turnouts due to dynamic forces generated from train traffic. In the first approach, the recorded measurements are adjusted at crossing point and then the relative geometrical degradation of turnouts is evaluated by using two defined parameters, the absolute residual area (ARa) and the maximum settlement (Smax). In the second approach, various geometry parameters are defined to estimate the degradation in each measurement separately. It also discusses optimisation of the track geometry inspection interval with a view to minimising the total ballast maintenance costs per unit traffic load. The proposed model considers inspection time and the maintenance-planning horizon time after inspection and takes into account the costs associated with inspection, tamping and risk of accidents due to poor track quality. Finally, it proposes a cost model to identify the cost-effective maintenance limit for track geometry maintenance. The model considers the actual longitudinal level degradation rates of different track sections as a function of million gross tonnes (MGT) / time and the observed maintenance efficiency. / <p>Godkänd; 2013; 20130814 (iman); Tillkännagivande disputation 2013-08-26 Nedanstående person kommer att disputera för avläggande av teknologie doktorsexamen. Namn: Iman Arasteh Khouy Ämne: Drift och underhållsteknik/Operation and Maintenance Avhandling: Cost-Effective Maintenance of Railway Track Geometry A Shift from Safety Limits to Maintenance Limits Opponent: Professor Peter Veit, Institute of Railway Engineering and Transport Economy, Technical University Graz, Austria Ordförande: Professor Uday Kumar, Institutionen för samhällsbyggnad och naturresurser, Luleå tekniska universitet Tid: Tisdag den 17 september 2013, kl 10.00 Plats: F1031, Luleå tekniska universitet</p>

Deployment and use of complex technical systems are common in society and in industry. Many of the complex technical systems have stringent requirements on safety, dependability and cost, which necessitate frequent updates and modification in response to new developments in technology and changing functional requirements. Hence, correct, role-adapted, situation-adapted, context-adapted and timely information and information support, is crucial to access, manage, maintain and improve the required services to be provided by these systems. Given the technological development and the changing business environment, system and support providers need to improve the design and provision of information support solutions. This can be facilitated by the utilisation of new and innovative Information & Communication Technology (ICT), manifested in emerging approaches such as eMaintenance. However, there is still a need of methodologies and tools that enable the development and provision of support information services by an integration of business and maintenance processes at both customers and providers to achieve novel business solutions such as Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) in the context described above.Hence, the purpose of this research is to describe how providers of support solutions can develop and provide effective information support solutions related to complex technical systems by enhanced utilisation of ICT. To fulfil this purpose, a single case study within military aviation was performed. Empirical data was collected through interviews, observations, archival records, workshops and action research. The analysis was based on existing, adapted and developed theories, model-based simulations and available international standards, considering an eMaintenance framework.The results of the research are: I) a definition of system-oriented, service-oriented, process-oriented and lifecycle oriented eMaintenance solutions; II) an identification of critical information and information support requirements of customers and providers while implementing e-maintenance; III) an identification of ICT-related methodologies and technologies suitable to fulfil the information support requirements of customers and providers; and IV) an approach for development and provision of ICT-based information support solutions that satisfy the requirements of customers and providers. Even though these results are achieved within the context of a modern military aircraft, the results throughout the research process indicate that they to a large extent are generic in nature and can be applicable to other complex technical systems within the process, power generation and transportation industries as well. / Spridningen och användningen av komplexa tekniska system är vanliga i samhället och inom industrin. Många av de komplexa tekniska systemen har stränga krav på säkerhet, tillförlitlighet och kostnader, vilket kräver frekventa uppdateringar och ändringar till följd av ny teknisk utveckling och förändrade funktionskrav. Därför är korrekt, kontextanpassad och aktuell information och informationsstöd avgörande för åtkomst, förvaltning, underhåll och förbättring av de kravställda tjänster som skall tillhandahållas av dessa system. Med tanke på den tekniska utvecklingen och föränderliga företagsklimat, behöver system- och supportleverantörer förbättra utformning och tillhandahållande av lösningar för informationssupport. Detta kan underlättas genom användning av ny och innovativ informations- och kommunikationsteknologi, (IKT) vilka visar sig i form av nya metoder såsom eMaintenance. Det finns dock fortfarande ett behov av metoder och verktyg för utveckling och tillhandahållande av informationssupport genom en integration av affärs- och underhållsprocesser hos både kunder och leverantörer, för att åstadkomma nya affärslösningar såsom Prestandabaserad Logistik (PBL) i de sammanhang som beskrivs ovan. Syftet med denna forskning är därför för att beskriva hur leverantörer av supportlösningar kan utveckla och erbjuda effektiv informationssupport som stöd kopplat till komplicerade tekniska system genom ökad användning av IKT. För att uppnå detta syfte, har en fallstudie inom militär luftfarten utförts. Empiriska data har samlats in genom intervjuer, observationer, arkivstudier, workshops och deltagande forskning. Analysen baseras på befintlig, anpassad och utvecklade teorier, modellbaserade simulering och tillgängliga internationella standarder, i beaktande av ett ramverk för eMaintenance. Resultaten av forskningen är: I) en definition av service-, process- och livscykelorientede eMaintenance lösningar, II) en identifiering av kunders och leverantörers kritiska krav på information och informationssupport III) en identifiering av IKT-relaterade metoder och teknologier lämpade att uppfylla kunder och leverantörers krav på informationssupport, IV) ett tillvägagångssätt för utveckling och tillhandahållande av IKT-baserade lösningar för informationssupport som uppfyller kraven från kunder och leverantörer. Även om dessa resultat erhållits inom kontexten för ett modernt militärflygplan, indikerar resultat erhållna i forskningsprocessen att de i stor utsträckning är allmänna till sin karaktär och kan vara tillämpliga på andra komplexa tekniska system inom processindustrin, elproduktion och transportindustri. / Godkänd; 2009; 20091102 (olov_c); DISPUTATION Ämnesområde: Drift och underhållsteknik/Operation and Maintenance Opponent: Professor Ajit Kumar Verma, International Institute of Information Technology Pune, Bombay, Indien Ordförande: Professor Uday Kumar, Luleå tekniska universitet Tid: Torsdag den 3 december 2009, kl 10.00 lats: F 1031, Luleå tekniska universitet

The increasing demand for transportation and sustainability makes railways attractive. The ongoing deregulation of state-owned railways means that many new organisations are entering the railway sector. Hence, reducing railway delays is increasingly important to many stakeholders, including passengers, freight customers, train operating companies, railway infrastructure managers and society in general. Therefore, the study of punctuality and its improvement is essential. The purpose of the research presented in this thesis is to explore and describe information and requirements related to railway punctuality in order to support systematic improvements. The focus is on delay causes related to infrastructure maintenance. To fulfil the stated purpose, punctuality requirements, availability concepts, failure and delay data, as well as maintenance decisions, have been studied via theoretical and empirical approaches. Data was collected through interviews, document studies, archival analysis, observations and experiments. It is found that punctuality requirements and performance are currently expressed in many, hardly commensurable, ways. Hence, it is difficult to compare punctuality data from different railways. This is further complicated by the fact that delay attribution is inconsistently performed. It is also found that there is a lack of data on train traffic and infrastructure, for example, causes of delays. Although the consistency regarding ranking of decision-making criteria is rather high, the consistency of maintenance decisions is rather low. In addition, there are many interacting causes affecting punctuality, including infrastructure, timetable, rolling stock, weather and personnel. It is also found that even though unpunctuality might be explained by unavailability of some parts of the railway system, the concept of availability is not well-established and agreed upon within the railway sector. Based on the research findings, it is proposed that punctuality should be treated as the extent to which an event takes place when agreed, for example, the agreement between a passenger and a train operating company concerning the arrival of a train at a certain time. A number of availability measures for railway are also proposed, partly based on analogies to the power industry. Furthermore, the developed and applied methodologies, based on vignettes and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), are proposed to support punctuality improvements. To summarise, based on the results of this research, it is possible to improve data collection and recording, select suitable indicators and increase the awareness of the grounds on which decisions are made, all of which contribute to improved punctuality. / Den ökande efterfrågan på transporter, helst med låg miljöbelastning, gör järnvägen till ett attraktivt alternativ. I den pågående omregleringen av statliga järnvägar gör många nya aktörer entré i branschen. Att minska järnvägsförseningarna blir allt viktigare för många intressenter, som passagerare, godskunder, tågoperatörer, infrastrukturförvaltare och samhället i stort. Därför är det mycket viktigt att studera de faktorer som påverkar punktligheten.Syftet med forskningen som presenteras i denna avhandling är att undersöka och beskriva information och krav relaterade till punktlighet, i syfte att stödja systematiskt förbättringsarbete. Fokus ligger på förseningsorsaker relaterade till infrastrukturunderhåll. För att uppfylla syftet har punktlighetskrav, tillgänglighetskoncept, data för fel och förseningar, liksom underhållsbeslut, studerats teoretiskt och empiriskt. Datainsamling har skett med intervjuer, dokumentstudier, arkivmaterial, observationer och experiment.I avhandlingen visas att punktlighetsprestation och -krav idag uttrycks på många, knappast jämförbara, sätt. Således är det svårt att jämföra punktlighetsdata, eftersom olika järnvägar presenterar punktlighet på skilda sätt. Detta försvåras dessutom av att förseningsrapporteringen utförs inkonsistent. Det visas också att det saknas data om tågtrafik och infrastruktur som skulle kunna underlätta för förbättringar, även beträffande förseningsorsaker. Även om konsistensen för rangordning av kriterierna för beslutsfattande är god, är konsistensen för underhållsbeslut ganska låg. Dessutom påverkar många interagerande faktorer punktligheten, till exempel infrastruktur, tidtabell, rullande materiel, väder och personal. Det visas också att trots att opunktlighet kan förklaras av otillgänglighet hos enheter i järnvägssystemet, så saknar järnvägssektorn ett allmänt accepterat tillgänglighetsbegrepp.Baserat på forskningsresultaten föreslås att punktlighet definieras som i vilken utsträckning en händelse äger rum när det är överenskommet, till exempel överenskommelsen mellan en passagerare och en tågoperatör beträffande händelsen att ett tåg ankommer vid en viss tidpunkt. Ett antal tillgänglighetsmått för järnvägen föreslås också, delvis baserade på analogier med elkraftsindustrin. De arbetssätt som utvecklats och tillämpats, baserade på scenarier och AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process), föreslås användas för att stödja punktlighetsförbättringar.Sammanfattningsvis, baserat på resultaten av denna forskning, är det möjligt att förbättra datainsamlingen och registreringen, välja lämpliga indikatorer och öka medvetenheten om använda beslutsgrunder, vilket bidrar till förbättrad punktlighet. / Godkänd; 2008; Bibliografisk uppgift: Förbättrad punktlighet : från data till beslut i järnvägsunderhåll; 20080314 (ysko)

This thesis deals with the application of percussive drill monitoring in the mining and underground construction industries. The technique has been used to provide information on different ground properties and conditions and for drill productivity evaluation. Five different test sites have been used: the OSCAR area in the Kiirunavaara magnetite mine in Kiruna, the Viscaria copper mine in Kiruna, the Zinkgruvan mine in south-central Sweden, the Glödberget tunneling site in Västerbotten county and the Hallandsåsen tunneling site in southern Sweden. A methodology has been suggested and tested for treatment of raw data in order to extract rock dependent parameter variations from variations generated by the drill system itself and other external influences. Prediction of rock hardness and fracturing can be done without initial calibration, providing a good foundation for interpretation by site personnel. The mining applications show that drill monitoring has a very high potential for ore boundary delineation and also for classification of existing rock types. In tunneling applications drill monitoring demonstrates a good capability of foreseeing rock conditions ahead of the tunnel face. Other benefits are the speed of the method, its practicality and the fact that it requires no additional equipment, time or access to the production front. The potential for detailed drill productivity evaluation by drill monitoring has been demonstrated. Detailed information of the time consumption for each activity in the drilling cycle can be presented as well as the distribution of the total production. With this information in hand an indication can be given as to how the overall drilling capacity can be increased. The impact on production of automation, new developments and organization can also be predicted with high accuracy. / Godkänd; 1997; 20061128 (haneit)

This licentiate thesis presents the results of a research project concerning railroad maintenance. After acquiring the state-of-the-art knowledge in relevant areas a prediction model for railroad track degradation has been developed. The model is named DeCoTrack (Degradation Cost Of Track). The research study has been performed in a close collaboration with track experts at Banverket. The model simulates changes in degradation rate of the track due to changes in traffic characteristics. The inputs include for example parameters such as axle load, annual tonnage, speed, the mix of vehicle types and vehicle maintenance conditions. Outputs from the model are both track life length and the estimated degradation cost. When developing the model, results from research studies reported mainly from Europe and North America were combined with classical mechanical engineering theories, and empirical data from the last 20 years of railway transports in Sweden. By establishing compatible interfaces between the different input sources, information became easy to adapt to the model which was gradually implemented into an easy-to-use software. The model DeCoTrack has been verified mainly based on an extensive literature survey trying to find other comparative models and to relate their output to that from DeCoTrack. Out of 900 abstracts, 40 research works were found of interest and studied in detail. They led to three existing models: TMPM/ITDM - Track Maintenance Planning Model / Integrated Track Degradation Model TRACS - Total Right of Way Analysis and Costing System The Damage Exponent Heavy Axle Load Analysis These models turned out to be more complex than DeCoTrack and therefore it is more difficult to implement and use these models in real situations. In addition these models are also mainly focused on the modelling of uniform freight traffic while DeCoTrack can model and describe the track degradation due to mixed traffic. A direct comparison of outputs from these models has been done on traffic data where quantitative data were available. The correlations between outputs from DeCoTrack and the above mentioned models were good. A search for more external research work on freight traffic leads undoubtedly to U.S. and the AAR/TTC test centre in Colorado. All of the three models above refer in some way to data from that centre. When it comes to high speed goods or passenger traffic and related maintenance issues, the major sources of knowledge can be found in Germany, France and Japan. Future research is suggested to concentrate on vehicle classification. The domestic situation in Sweden with deregulation in traffic and mixed traffic on same routes highly prioritise such a decision. From an international perspective, that effort might bring a useful complement to the other models. They are focused on uniform freight traffic. / Denna licentiatavhandling presenterar resultaten av ett forskningsprojekt om järnvägs-underhåll. Sedan aktuella kunskaper om relevanta områden inhämtats, har en modell för att förutsäga slitage av järnvägsspår utvecklats. Modellen benämns DeCoTrack (Degradation Cost Of Track). Forskningen har utförts i nära samarbete med spår-tekniska experter vid Banverket. Modellen simulerar hur spårets nedbrytning förändras med förändringar i tågtrafiken. Indata innefattar t ex parametrar såsom axellast, årligt tonnage, hastighet, blandning av fordonstyper och fordonens underhållskondition. Utdata från modellen är både spår-livslängd och den beräknade nedbrytningskostnaden. När modellen utvecklades, kombinerades resultat av studier i huvudsak utförda i Europa och Nordamerika med klassiska maskintekniska teorier och empiriska data från de senaste 20 årens järnvägs-trafik i Sverige. Genom att utforma kompatibla gränssnitt mellan de olika indata-källorna gjordes informationen lätt att anpassa till modellen, som gradvis implemente-rades i en lättanvänd programvara. Modellen DeCoTrack har främst verifierats genom en omfattande litteraturundersök-ning i syfte att hitta andra jämförbara modeller och att relatera deras utdata till DeCo-Tracks. Av 900 abstracts, befanns 40 arbeten vara av intresse och studerades ingående. De resulterade i tre befintliga modeller: • TMPM/ITDM - Track Maintenance Planning Model / Integrated Track Degradation Model • TRACS - Total Right of Way Analysis and Costing System • The Damage Exponent Heavy Axle Load Analysis Dessa modeller visade sig vara mera komplexa än DeCoTrack och det är därför svårare att implementera och använda dem i verkliga situationer. Dessutom är dessa modeller i huvudsak fokuserade på modellering av enhetlig godstrafik, medan DeCo-Track kan modellera och beskriva spårnedbrytning orsakat av blandad trafik. En direkt jämförelse av utdata från dessa modeller har utförts på trafikdata där kvantitativa data fanns tillgängliga. Korrelationerna mellan utdata från DeCoTrack och ovannämnda modeller var god. Sökande efter fler externa studier av godstrafik leder utan tvekan till USA och the AAR/TTC testcentrum i Colorado. Alla de tre ovannämnda modellerna refererar på ett eller annat sätt till data från detta centrum. När det gäller underhållsfrågor relaterade till snabbtåg och höghastighetståg så återfinns de främsta kunskapskällorna i Tyskland, Frankrike och Japan. Framtida forskning föreslås bli koncentrerad på fordonsklassificering. Den inhemska situationen i Sverige med avreglering av trafiken och blandad trafik på samma linjer ger hög prioritet ät ett sådant beslut. I ett internationellt perspektiv kan denna insats bli till ett användbart komplement till de andra modellerna. De är fokuserade på enhetlig godstrafik. / <p>Godkänd; 2004; 20070131 (ysko)</p>

Parker i det urbana landskapet är platser som är stora tillgångar för staden. Tillgänglighet till parker i staden resulterar i en rad olika fördelaktiga effekter som exempelvis förbättrad fysisk hälsa och minskade stressnivåer. I Sverige utnyttjas parker i högre grad under sommarhalvåret eftersom det svenska klimatet är kallt under andra perioder av året. Denna studie tar därför reda på hur människor ska kunna öka deras användning av parker under längre perioder av året. Studiens inriktning är en utvärdering över hur aktiviteter som utförs i parker kan förlängas under våren. Detta gjordes genom att ta reda på hur användare som utförde olika aktiviteter uppfattade olika väderförhållanden. Studien tar även reda på hur olika attribut i parken kan påverka parkens aktiviteter. En jämförelse gjordes även mellan de aktiviteter som var bundna till en plats och de aktiviteter som inte var bundna till en plats. Målet var att hitta en utformning som skulle passa för respektive aktivitet under månaderna mars, april och maj. En enkätundersökning utfördes med hänsyn till användarnas åsikter om deras nuvarande användning, påverkan av väderförhållanden och önskade förändringar. Observationer har genomförts över människornas aktiviteter och på vilken plats i parken användarna utför dem. Metoderna resulterade i en åtskillnad i uppfattning av väderförhållanden mellan de olika aktiviteterna. Studien fastställer att under månaderna mars, april och maj påverkas aktiviteterna olika av väderförhållanden i parken. Användarna önskar olika attribut i parken för att kunna utföra aktiviteten i högre grad under denna tid på året. Aktiviteter som är platsbundna visade sig högre skillnad mellan de olika åsikterna än de aktiviteter som inte var platsbundna. Framtida planering bör innefatta attribut vid platsbundna aktiviteter vilka möter användarens behov. / In the urban landscape, parks are places with beneficial assets for the city. When people have access to parks in the city several effects get an impact on them, such as improved physical health and reduced stress levels. In Sweden, parks have the largest use during the summer months because of the cold climate during the other periods of the year. This study provides information on how people can increase their use of parks for a longer period of the year. The focus of the study is to evaluate how activities carried out in parks can extend in the spring. The object was to find out how users who performed different activities perceived different weather conditions. The study also finds out how different attributes in the park would make it better for the activities. To divide the activities a comparison between the activities that were tied to a site and the activities that were not tied to a place was made. The goal was to find a design that would suit the respective activity during the months of March, April and May. A survey taking into account user opinions regarding their current use, weather conditions and desired changes for the park was included. Another method was observations over people’s activities and at what location in the park users perform them. The methods resulted in a distinction in terms of weather conditions between the different activities. The study states that during the months of March, April and May, activities are affected by weather conditions in the park. Users want different attributes in the park to be able to perform the activity more this time of year. Activities that are tied to a place showed a greater difference between the different views than those that were not tied. Future planning should include attributes of site-based activities that meet user needs.