Feature

Designing for maintenance results in leak-free gearbox for London Underground

Manufacturers are increasingly looking for ways to reduce the operating costs of their plant and equipment and cutting the cost of maintenance is currently very much in the spotlight as one way of achieving this.

03/05/2019 11:58:52

It's quite common that when new equipment is specified, the first time the maintenance team see it is when it's installed, and yet the maintenance of it, throughout its life cycle, can be one of the plant’s most significant operating costs. That's changing though, and it's becoming more common for maintenance and design engineers to work together to make the reduction of maintenance a design priority.

Additionally, reducing maintenance isn't always just about cutting costs. Sometimes there are other factors that demand a significant reduction of maintenance. Like when maintenance engineers at the London Underground were forced to look at ways of reducing the maintenance on the networks’ escalator drive systems to comply with tight limitations on downtime.

On the London Underground there is just a four-hour window at night for general maintenance, and there are severe penalties if escalators are out of service beyond this permitted time frame.

Read the full article in the May issue of DPA

Written By Sophia Bell

Sophia Bell is the Group Editor of DPA, Connectivity, and PBSI. She joined the team in 2020 as Assistant Editor after achieving a First-Class Honours BA in English Literature and Film Studies from the University of East Anglia. In her current role, she leads the editorial strategy, driving digital growth and ensuring each title continues to deliver trusted, relevant insight for engineering and manufacturing professionals.