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Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) is becoming more wide-spread within US industry and military applications. A development team, through the Open System Architecture for Condition-Based Maintenance (OSA-CBM) program, has addressed a framework for the next generation of machinery monitoring and diagnostic systems. This framework employs an open system architecture that uses a distributed software model approach to facilitate the integration and interchangeability between of a variety of hardware and software components. OSA-CBM is striving to build a de-facto standard to encompass the entire range of functions from data collection through the recommendation of specific maintenance actions. The potential benefits of a robust non-proprietary standard include improved ease of upgrading for system components, a broader supplier community, more rapid technology development, and reduced cost to end users. An overview on OSA-CBM development and insight into an XML-based implementation is provided.

Introduction: Condition Based Maintenance uses accurate and reliable predictions of current and projected system condition (or health) to indicate the need for and type of maintenance action. Maintenance and monitoring go hand in hand in any predictive or proactive strategy. Reducing operational and maintenance costs requires balancing the use of CBM technology with traditional predictive maintenance for unmonitored components. The factors that have driven an increase in the use of CBM include the need for reduced maintenance and logistics costs, improved equipment availability, and protection against failure …