Reliability Analysis and the Costs of Corrective Maintenance for a Component of a Fleet of Trams

This paper presents the results of reliability analysis investigations and the costs of corrective maintenance of the most frequently damaged and one of the most expensive to repair tram components.Having a database of failures times for individual components, it is easy to determine the average lifetime to failure the element and the standard deviation for this time, the problem arises when selecting the appropriate form of distribution.An incorrect determination of the type of failure distribution may cause a large error in the results of the reliability and durability assessment of the system.The subject of the investigation was the master controller in trams, which is a multiposition switch designed for transitioning electric motor windings or auxiliary elements and is responsible for the acceleration and braking of a tram.The research covered 5 years of operation of a fleet of 45 trams used in similar conditions in one city, with average mileage of 200 km per day for every tram.Furthermore, the study analysed the costs related to corrective maintenance related to this component.The results allow researchers and the fleet operator to predict possible failures of the components under review and calculate the associated financial costs.This comprehensive approach provides valuable information on the economic and operational aspects of tram systems in public transportation.