A maintenance scheduling system that lays out a maintenance schedule for an image forming apparatus includes an actual-use-result acquiring unit that acquires actual use result information of consumables, a failure-probability-distribution estimating unit that estimates failure probability distributions of the consumables, a cost-related-constant acquiring unit that acquires cost related constants of the consumables, a first cost calculating unit that calculates, for each of plural visit interval values, cost per unit time required for the image forming apparatus, a visit-interval calculating unit that calculates the visit interval value giving minimum cost, a second cost calculating unit that calculates, for each of plural replacement interval values, cost per unit time required for the image forming apparatus, a replacement-interval calculating unit that calculates a calculated replacement interval value, and a maintenance-schedule presenting unit that presents the next visit time and at least one of the consumables to be replaced in the visit.

Maintenance scheduling system, maintenance scheduling method, and image forming apparatus

A method of measuring creep strain in a gas turbine engine (100) component, where at least a portion of the component has a material (84) disposed thereon, and where the material (84) has a plurality of markings (86) arranged in a visually distinct pattern. The method may include capturing an image of at least a portion of the markings (86) after an operational period of the gas turbine engine (100), and determining creep strain information of the component. The creep strain information may be determined by correlating the image captured after the operational period to an image captured before the operational period.

Apparatus and method for optically measuring creep

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic inspection method and device that, in inspecting an inspection object having a complicated shape part such as a rotor blade implanting part of a turbine rotor, clarify a correspondence between the shape of the inspection object and an echo on a flaw detection image and facilitate identification of a defective echo appearing at a defect-assumed position without requiring a highly precise probe scanning tool or position detection means.SOLUTION: An ultrasonic inspection method for detecting a defect generated in an inspection object while electronically scanning an ultrasonic beam with an array type probe, comprises: associating a reflection source position on a shape diagram of the inspection object with a shape echo on a flaw detection image; generating a corrected flaw detection image in which correction is performed to the flaw detection image so that the display position of the shape echo matches the reflection source position on the basis of a positional relation between the reflection source position and the shape echo; and displaying the corrected flaw detection image in such a manner as to superimpose the corrected flaw detection image on the shape diagram.

Ultrasonic inspection method and device

Ultrasonic inspection equipment facilitates alignment of display positions of three-dimensional ultrasonic inspection data and three-dimensional shape data, and quickly discriminates between a defect echo and an inner-wall echo. A computer 102A has a position correction function of correcting a relative display position between three-dimensional shape data and three-dimensional ultrasonic inspection data. A display position of the three-dimensional ultrasonic inspection data or that of the three-dimensional shape data is moved by a norm of a mean vector along the mean vector that is calculated from a plurality of vectors defined by a plurality of points selected in the three-dimensional ultrasonic inspection data and by a plurality of points selected in the three-dimensional shape data. The three-dimensional shape data and the three-dimensional ultrasonic inspection data are displayed in such a manner as to be superimposed on each other on a three-dimensional display unit 103C.

Ultrasonic inspection equipment and ultrasonic inspection method

The measurement of a flaw height in a thick welded portion of a stainless steel specimen, which is difficult to perform by the TOFD method, can be conducted with more ease, with higher accuracy and in a shorter time than in the case of using tip echo techniques. In addition, it is possible to reduce variations in measurement results among individual inspectors. An ultrasonic wave 21 is launched by a transmitting probe 1 into a specimen 20 in a direction oblique to a flaw 24 to generate diffracted waves at the tip 25 of the flaw 24, then a diffracted wave 22 propagating upward directly from the flaw 24 and a diffracted wave 23 propagating upwardly of the flaw 24 after once reflected off the back 27 are received by a receiving probe 2 disposed above the flaw 24, and the height of the tip of the flaw 24 from the back 27 is measured from the propagation time difference between the received diffracted waves.

Method and apparatus for measuring flaw height in ultrasonic tests

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optimal maintenance plan decision method capable of making a maintenance plan in the whole depreciation period of a plant or a product by quantitatively considering the point of view of costs. SOLUTION: Data related with damage probability and maintenance costs related with a unit or components constituting a plant or a product are stored, and the depreciation period of the plant or components is divided into short maintenance periods with specific intervals, and the states of the unit or components constituting the plant or product when each short maintenance period ends are calculated based on the damage probability, and the unit or components to be inspected or repaired when the short maintenance period starts are selected based on the calculated result, and the inspection and repair costs are calculated by an arithmetic means, and by repeating the calculation until the depreciation fiscal year, the units or components to be maintained can be selected, and the maintenance costs can be calculated.

Optimal maintenance plan decision method

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for visualizing ultrasonic signals whereby the result of an ultrasonic inspection of an inspection object having various shapes can be detected intuitively and highly accurately. SOLUTION: There is provided a probe 10 for receiving echoes of emitted ultrasonic waves. An image showing a beam route of ultrasonic waves and an image expressing a size of an ultrasonic signal in the periphery of the beam route by gradations are generated on the basis of the ultrasonic signal based on the echoes from the probe, which are displayed overlapping on an image of a three-dimensional geometric model of the inspection object.

Apparatus for visualizing ultrasonic signal

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform safety management of a plant facility according to the failure probability of each equipment constituting the plant facility. SOLUTION: A design-stage failure probability function calculating part 11a obtains, for each equipment constituting a plant facility, a failure probability function which represents the relationship between the use years and the failure probability based on design data on the plant equipments at the design stage. A probability function changing par 11b modifies the failure probability function to prepare a modified failure probability function based on at least one of production data on production of the equipments, operation histories of the equipments and inspection on the equipments. A equipment exchange determining part 11c compares a modified failure probability obtained from the modified failure probability function depending on the use years with a preset value for determination to determine that the equipments should be exchanged when the modified failure probability exceeds the preset value, and manages the risk of the plant facility according to the modified failure probability. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Risk management device

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of evaluating the service life of a material, excluding the influence of individual subjective views in evaluation, resulting in quantifying the evaluated result, and moreover shortening time for evaluation work and reducing cost by making evaluation work efficient. SOLUTION: In this method of evaluating the service life of the material in the case of the occurrence of an aging effect in at least one phase of the material comprising two phases due to being used at high temperature, the texture image of the material is binarized by a specified threshold to form a binarized image divided in two phases, and at least one amount of feature characterizing the material is obtained on the basis of the binarized image. The degree of the aging effect of the material is estimated on the basis of the amount of feature.

Method of evaluating service life of material

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To precisely discriminating a part representing a damaged part in a tested body from an eddy current test signal obtained by an eddy current test. SOLUTION: This eddy current test signal discriminating method for discriminating the damaged part in the tested body from the eddy current test signal obtained in the eddy current test comprises a first step for extracting an aimed point with the eddy current test signal above a predetermined value, a second step for finding a variant vector of the eddy current test signal within a signal range including the aimed point, a third step for adding the dimension of the variant vector in each direction of an n-dimensional direction vector so as to find a n-dimensional characteristic vector, a forth step for converting the n-dimensional characteristic vector into a smaller m-dimensional characteristic vector, and a fifth step for recognizing a part representing the damaged part on the basis of the m-dimensional characteristic vector.

Naoto Kawase

Papers

Optimal maintenance plan decision method

Apparatus for visualizing ultrasonic signal

Risk management device

Method of evaluating service life of material

Eddy current test signal discriminating method and device using it