Event date: 15 April 08

Event end date: 16 April 08

Location: DCMT Shrivenham

Background

As part of the Defence Academy’s focus on providing the Commander in the field with the equipment he wants, when he needs it, Cranfield University has expanded its annual Symposium, Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) to include Condition-Based Maintenance & Prognostics. For too long the Commander has suffered from equipment that requires unexpected repair and excessive periods of reactive maintenance, usually at the most inopportune times.

Both usage and abusage contribute to the problems, but having some indication of an equipment’s health and also of when equipment may require repair or maintenance would considerably improve the operational effectiveness of equipment at the front line. The health of equipment needs to be known and in the commercial world it is, so that appropriate maintenance can be planned and carried out in the most cost-effective way. In the defence environment, adoption of the same technology particularly with vehicles is a challenge that is yet to be solved. Yet if fitted, HUMS can tell both maintenance staff and operational staff what they need to know to improve equipment availability.

Prognostics and Condition-Based maintenance decisions can be made to further enhance the transformation of maintenance practice and increase efficiency. Maintenance can be planned and provided at the right place, when we choose and when it fits in with the availability the Commander needs. Increasing availability within an environment of reducing manpower and support is a promise that is so nearly within our grasp, but is there the commitment to achieve it through HUMS, Prognostics and Condition-Based Maintenance?

Theme

The Defence Academy and Cranfield University at Shrivenham aims to bring together both defence personnel and industry for an open dialogue in order to exploit the available HUMS and prognostic technologies and to provide the opportunity to improve the availability of equipment in the field. The Symposium will review both policy issues for HUMS and for maintenance activity using HUMS data and Prognostics.

We will investigate progress in areas of land vehicles, aircraft, munitions and commercial vehicles. We will look at the available and emerging technologies applied to vehicles, aircraft and munitions and investigate the lessons to be learned from these different areas. The Symposium is programmed over two days with a reception and a buffet supper in order to maximise the opportunity for exchange of ideas.

Format

This event, within the series of Symposia at Shrivenham, will follow a well proven format of presentations and discussions in a relaxed atmosphere within secure surroundings with lunches, refreshments, reception and a buffet supper included. Open discussion is encouraged and programme time is planned accordingly to include a workshop session and short course on prognostics. It will provide a unique opportunity to network and to exchange ideas and experience with other experts to generate a searching debate into the future direction of improving military equipment availability.

Timings and Registration

The conference will be held at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, Shrivenham. The event starts at 9.45 am on Tuesday 15 April (registration from 9.00 am) and finishes after tea on Wednesday 16 April. If you wish to attend the conference, please complete and return the Registration Form before 10 March 2008. In order to keep the intimate atmosphere of the conference, attendance is limited to 150.

So please book early to ensure a place.

Travel options and entry passes will be sent to delegates in the administrative notes mailed out nearer the event.

Programme

Both days are designed to integrate those with requirements and those with solutions. There will be a mix of policy issues, technology enablers and solutions on both days.

DAY ONE will consider HUMS and prognostic developments and the effects to HUMS exploitation from the merger of the DPA and DLO. Changes to the ways maintenance planning and delivery is considered will be reviewed together with a review of the opportunities for specialist HUMS support to the Services in the future. Developments in HUMS technologies and applications will be explored together with the challenges faced in exploiting prognostic health management as it develops into a maintenance tool that promises to improve operational availability. The day will close with a workshop based discussion on the issues to be solved.

DAY TWO will start with a short course on Prognostics to bring all delegates to the same level of understanding on the technical complexity and theory of prognostics. The day will then continue the same themes from day 1 and in particular investigate in more detail what improvements in Operational Availability HUMS and Prognostics promise to offer. International developments in the commercial world will be investigated and international programmes reviewed that promise to deliver significant results and benefits to aircraft, munitions and to heavy machinery in the sea environment. These developments and their linkage to Condition-Based maintenance will be reviewed together with identifying the challenges to be addressed in the whole area of integrity life management. Organisations presenting include: MOD, MAN & GSV IPT, Dstl, GE Aviation (Digital Systems), BAE Systems, Dytecna (Syen), CALCE (Maryland University) AIMG and QinetiQ