Reliability Analysis of Complex Repairable Systems Using Artificial Neural Networks: A Case Study on Underground Mining Machinery

The effective utilisation of equipment is essential for achieving the operational goals within production sectors, particularly in industries involving heavy machinery.Throughout its lifecycle, equipment is exposed to dynamic loads and harsh operational environments, leading to potential failures that may significantly shorten their service life.Therefore, evaluating equipment reliability is crucial for mitigating production losses and ensuring continuous operations.This study presents a comprehensive reliability analysis of underground mining machinery, with a focus on Load-Haul-Dump (LHD) systems, which are key to material handling in mining operations.Reliability assessments are performed using methodologies based on the series configuration of repairable systems.The reliability of each LHD system is quantitatively evaluated by employing a feed-forward back-propagation artificial neural network (ANN) model implemented in MATLAB.This model is designed to predict the optimal responses of each LHD machine under varying operational conditions.The results obtained from the ANN model are compared with the calculated reliability values, demonstrating a high degree of correlation between the predicted and observed outcomes.This strong alignment underscores the potential of ANN-based models in accurately forecasting system reliability.Based on the analysis, recommendations are made to identify the most critical components contributing to the system's unreliability, thereby enabling targeted corrective actions.The findings provide valuable insights for engineers seeking to enhance the performance and operational efficiency of mining machinery through more informed maintenance and operational strategies.