Control and Use of Spares - Dissertation Example

Control and Use of Spares Introduction Aircraft supply chain The supply chain for aircraft parts is based on stringent regulations as well as tight turnaround and large quantities and expensive plane parts. Thus, the process of managing parts in the aviation industry is complex process and is also dependent on critical relationship between the manufacturers and the distributors. Spare parts for any airline company involves logistical operations and this covers all procurement and inventory procedures, and while third party involvement is critical, service providers need specific logistic management considerations. According to the Compliance Regulators, PCAR Part 5, a process needs proper instigation in order to optimize the supply chain procedure and hence achieve optimum results. Unapproved parts analysis The CAA concerns have more than increased in recent years due to the saturation of unauthenticated and unserviceable aircraft parts. This is especially evident in unregistered aircrafts. Evidently counterfeits and non-standard parts are finding their way into the market; explaining that such bogus parts come from several foreign sources. Installing bogus parts is a serious offence that is contained on the BCAA Form 1 and such indicate that the punishment relative to variety of unapproved parts is extensive and would attract a minimum sentence of up to 5 years. Bogus plane parts are supplied without approval from the aviation authorities, or parts manufactures. For example the helicopter main rotor blade supplied within traceable compliance to the manufacturer’s documentation. Equally, an engine that has been mounted onto an aircraft reading 1979 would show a factory installation of 1966. Unapproved parts – an empirical analysis The unapproved parts are systematically installed, (Nevisson, 2009) onto aircrafts but do not have any manufacturer’s specification and neither does it have approved procedures, including approved type designs. Ideally, their declared specifications are unacceptable and are in total violations with the accepted standards. The core detriments involve, but not restricted to the following: i. The parts with specifications determined on the parts catalogues identifying the type certification aircraft, but whose origin in terms of manufacture, rework or other marked identifications are unauthorized and come from a source without any license hence falsely failing to meet particular industrial standards. ii. Parts which have been shipped from a virtual manufacturer to suppliers or/and distributors who are not eligible for any production approvals in terms of stock, certification and export approvals e.g. production overruns. iii. Parts whose maintenance ratio is below zero, and which lack overhaul, and generally lack repairer’s requirement, hence no approved airworthiness data or even the person carrying out repairs lack the minimum qualification. Parts which do not meet these criteria are hence considered unapproved. Equally, the unapproved parts are those which haven’t been properly returned for servicing. iv. The term bogus parts originate from the FAA, ‘bogus parts’ war, whose language resonance involves several changing attributes of flooded markets. The substandard components that are widespread in the market are considered bogus because they have either bypassed the parts control regulations or they were manufactured using dubious and non-standard mechanisms. The range of bogus parts is wide, including dangerous substandard components to safe (also known as airworthy) but lakc the required approvals. Due to stringent rules, subcontractors overproduce an aircraft part, then fail to submit for quality approvals, hence impairing the FAA specifications. v. Unapproved parts are considered equally bogus because they lack proper FAA approvals, and contain designs that are not up to the designated standards. The classifications in this category include stolen parts and fraudulently marked aircraft parts. The catastrophic consequences of bogus parts are eminent and the Norway Aircraft Accident (1989) was caused by substandard parts installed into the aircraft. Also, poor maintenance and lack of proper service management contributed to the fatal accident. Commercial bogus parts analysis The expansion of the international trade has meant that mobility of aircraft parts would find way into the aviation industry. The relevant category indicated for this research includes; i. Brokers who provide falsification of parts certification ii. Repair classification and distribution that do not mean the authorized repair levels iii. Manufactures who produce spares that are not licensed and iv. Workers selling stolen parts (some of which are defective or damaged) Theft cases reflecting bogus parts have been infused into the changing market, and frequent victims have included distributors and the avionic industry itself. The sheer size of aircraft parts, (Dubocq, 1993) has fueled theft and illegal supplies. In 2011, the dealings in bogus parts amounted to $345m. The direct costs in terms of expensive parts, repair frequencies and lack of proper maintenance procedures are extensive. Identification of bogus parts The behavioral characteristics exhibiting the changeover characteristics deriving the general reinforced features of construction materials raised through flattened aircrafts explain the explicitness of a three dimensional capacity highly decomposed through the analysis of a behavior of a component in the reinforced construction. Huge impacts of force that totally consist of several modeled controls show key tests and dimensional fiber classifications within the punching system. The behavior of these systems is anchored by column-based aircrafts that are in themselves cracked through well defined punching mode. The flattened aircrafts are measured in parts as with the density of reinforcement and the factors affecting the nature of the robustness especially within the frames and tunnels established as per the resistance creation process. Key cumulative capacity considerations and resultant key steel controls which exhibit change in forces of sudden pressure changes are arbitrarily related to collapsed forces of resistance. The behavioral variables and resultant parameter changes which are annexed as per the capacity incremental factor and additional changes in view of formula limits and extremes brought about by factored environmental conditions. The key examinations of up to 79% stress literary provide key variances in the nature of columns being established. The results of the researches based on SFRC contingent aircrafts give results of a larger format of comparative results and this create a standard harmonized procedures related to commissioned network of alternate codes which are universally accepted as per EASA rules, directly reflecting the internality of the stress factors. In view of this, a series of components are established to an equivalent classification and the derived commissioned. Manufacturing The recognition of vital codes for manufacturing aircraft parts established to refer to key purposeful gains, thus; Providing adequate compliance to set engineering standards which are essentially recognized under stipulated rules as directed by the EASA minimum mechanical stability platforms. The key constructs equivalent to engineering disciplines and service provisions, category establishment standards BS-EN 1992-1-1:2004 with values and partial factors supporting shrinkages of recommended value ranges of 1,0-1,4 but with extreme stresses ranging from 0, 85 for post tensioned factors. Identification of bogus parts The process of identifying bogus parts is determined by analytical framework involving engineers and experts who have insight knowledge of the bogus parts. The specific parts including bolts, screws and a range of specific areas require ideal check against the provisions. For other parts whose documentations are available, the international standards must be followed in order to curb any bogus parts. The fraudulent parts led to the crush of the Partnair Flight 394 on September 1989. This deadliest accident was caused by parts that had no known approval, and hence were found to be bogus. The estimated ranges of bogus part are about 10% of the total parts being commercially sold. Ideally, the parts on the black market have more than doubled, with coordinated crimes being the major cause of the fake aircraft accessory sales. The rules offered by the FAA for the unapproved parts are as follows: i. The quoted price is significantly lower in the traded magazines as compared to similar product’s prices in other distributor channels. ii. The absolute delivery schedule appears to be shorter as compared to existing parts in a case where the stock has been depleted. iii. The supplier’s failure to provide relevant data that will demonstrate the relevant conformity of the specific parts. iv. Lack of information about the product from FAA and subsequently minimum data about the part being specified. v. The product container should be well inspected to ensure that no particular damage on the parts, and also on the specific delivery specifications. vi. Make sure that orders have been fully crosschecked to avoid s mix-up of the part numbers, or inappropriate use of non-existent part numbers. vii. The specific part shelf life should be checked to avoid buying expired parts. viii. Ensure that the parts identification specifications are intact (for example the part’s serial number should be properly labeled. ix. The parts should be inspected to check for any visual defects and abnormalities. For example the parts should be checked to find if the surface has been altered or the required plating is lacking. Other things to be checked include corrosions, coating with new paint, e.t.c) x. Proper supplier audit should be performed to ensure that both quality and ideal specifications have been fully maintained. Bogus parts and the aviation supply chain The business links created within the aircraft sale is huge and its significance spans a huge area of supply chains. For instance, the supply chain factor provides a critical angle for major aviation considerations ranging from people selling the products in the black market to the real supplier-buyer platform. While dealing in unapproved parts has instantaneously floored the market, a number of falsifications do exist and as such this has predominantly caused various tendencies such as creating undisciplined transaction network. The illegal financial returns are hugely dangerous and its consequences range from unguided part disposal to massive transactions. The requirements for the product involve generating bogus sale units and then disseminating them through hidden supply chains. Vulnerability occurs when craft supply chain allows a number of bogus electronic parts into the critical supply chain systems and hence risking the lives of passengers and others who directly or indirectly use the parts. A critical review found out that the US military suffered from bogus parts destined to the department of Defense. In the last 3 years, from 2009-2011, the catalogue showed about 2000 cases that involve bogus parts being forwarded for use in various aircraft areas such as transport, surveillance and basic repairs. The affected areas included Electromagnetic Interference Filters and the Missile systems. The suspected bogus parts were cited in 2011 purchase of Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS). This therefore greatly contributed to the massiveness of the problem and ideally it involved generating a lot of unlikely scenario, which directly affected the performance of the craft systems. Counterfeit documentation The level of counterfeit or using certified documents falsely has more than doubled and this has greatly affected the way businesses in the aviation industry is being carried out. The nature of problems involving bogus parts illustrates an indifferently changing spectrum and this appears to be a key problem. Making counterfeit documents involve simple ways such as designing using word suite. A leading case in point involves the FAA Designated Airworthiness Representative against Standby Parts, Inc. the criminal level in dealing with false document could be worse and though in most cases it seriously affect the way crafts operate, it could extremely a dangerous thing to do. The supply factor is sensitive and business aviation related firms need to have a well structured system which detects and curb any unlawful act. Suspected Unapproved Parts (SUPs) is a term used by FAA to monitor and control the purchase and use of suspected parts. The parts could have been deliberately counterfeited, or which appear genuine but their level of satisfaction is below standard. Such hence is classified as inferior and have potentially dire results. The case explanation indicates that these parts are influentially dysfunctional and due to their low purchasing prices, the buyers would be dubbed and hence this would lead to a major risk. Salvage/cannibalism This is an important method used to smuggle bogus parts into the market. This phenomenon involves dubious approaches that are done through reworking on parts so that they appear new or serviced. This process of recycling focuses on circulating parts of certain type through the supply chain but failing to explore the dangers posed by the cannibalized parts. The systematic examination of various craft operations are based on standard aircraft standard factors, including a series of component constants. Aircraft accidents The scavengers moving to accident sites to salvage parts is a major source of illegal trade. For example it was reported that American Airline Flight 965 crashed in 1995. The aftermath of the crush led to the theft of the planes parts. Serviceable parts such as the operational avionics were removed and taken to be sold in the aircraft markets in Miami and other surrounding areas. Combating bogus aircraft parts Bogus aircraft parts are extremely dangerous and could be fatal if accidents occur. Hence by carrying out relevant research and clamping down the sale of such bogus parts would both improve safety and create a clean supply chain. The use of very strict controls would enhance the procedure of maintaining the parts, and it also involves creating relevant policies to stamp out unapproved parts. Such involve initiating relevant operational framework for airlines and authorities should also initiate checklists and operational reviews for all aircraft parts(Ghali and Hammill, 1992). Part 145 Approval The system applied in approving parts should be validated by bodies that have the right standards of procedure. The Maintenance Repair and overhaul (MRO) is a major facility that support the protocols needed to manage aircraft parts. Equal measures are also determined by ensuring that conformity with industrial set standards has been met. The management levels of these regulations are occasioned by enhancing policies as determined by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Maintenance organization exposition The various quality check factors are evident in determining the standards needed to define an acceptance level for all the FAA and EASA provisions. As such, the key component is to explain the process that creates the measures applied to simplify and develop the prescribed requirement consideration. This also involves ensuring that aircraft parts are genuine and meet the required quality requirements. Receipt of delivery Delivery considerations for all the purchases provide an ideal framework within which a critical point for aircraft parts is noted. For instance, the quality factor for all the items need to match all other accompanying documents. Such an approach is significant because it outlines the logistical levels for all the parts being delivered. The procedure is defined by creating a database containing codes and other part illustrations which will be vital in making relevant crosschecks. Quarantined store The process of defining and procedurally creating an absolutely changing phenomenon involves separating all the attributes that are relevant to the delivery of services. The quarantine store provides checklist which acts as a certificate of conformity and is based on the relevant levels of logic data. In the instance of receiving the form which contains specific details of the product, final analysis is conducted in order to ensure that approval is done as appropriately as possible. Future developments A number of research areas involve identifying and creating specific steps to control the use of bogus parts. With regards to various aspects of the aviation industry, such parts can easily be controlled through the use of well laid specifications. The improvement of efficiency and core goals would hence facilitate the specific processes needed to complete the range of technological developments as well as aviation-related aspects, (Ghali and Hammill, 1992). RFIDs To track aircraft components, radio frequency identifications have been installed in major aircrafts. Its relevance is varied, ranging from ease of management to ease of detection. Parts that equally require maintenance would easily be evaluated and managed through an ideal method. In other instances, technical information would easily be maintained by ensuring that priority measures are understood. In other instances, it will ease the procedure of combating counterfeit and aging craft parts. Expensive components are now being tracked by using this technology. It has in the last few years improved the relationship between business entities and other bodies working on similar fronts. Smart materials A number of aircraft materials require well maintained environments. Such offer substantially positive results which in some instance allow organizations to fully manage their spares. Equally, by carrying out relevant tracking mechanism, organizations are able to fully control their purchases and supplies. The direct interactions relative to changing market fronts indicate that bogus parts would be easily controlled through the use of specific mechanisms. Conclusion The study has reflected the major factors of managing aircrafts. This has created a number of important derivatives. The application technique is hence evidenced through a series of component creation including the surveillance of the Commercial Aircraft stimulations, structural transformation and the comprehensive application of the structural inclusions of surface to face movements. Electro-magnetic method is highly beneficial to the designer’s organizational structuring of the system patterning and the worthwhile matters are encrypted to give the Commercial Aircraft ideal performance levels, (Hawkins and Hanna, 1975). For example, aircraft manufactures need to look into the relevant goals and attributes of their crafts. Equally all bogus parts must be controlled and taken care of. Technological applications should be established to achieve desirable results, and hence control the sale of aircraft parts. Bogus distribution should be banned completely in order to curb the spread of illegal or unapproved parts. References Stevenson, A.M.(1994).Post-tensioned concrete floors in multi-storey buildings. British Cement Association, Camberley, , pp. 20 Hallgren, M.(1996).Increase of punching shear capacity by using high-strength concrete. 4th International Symposium on Utilization of High- Strength/High-Performance Concrete, Paris, pp. 1037-1046. Chana, P.(1991).Punching shear in concrete slabs. The Structural Engineer, Vol. 69, No. 15, pp. 282-285. Gardner, N.(1990). Relationship of the punching shear capacity of reinforced concrete slabs with concrete strength. ACI Structural Journal, 1990, Vol. 87, No. 1, pp 66-71 Ghali, A. and Hammill, N.(1992).Effectiveness of shear reinforcement in slabs. Concrete International, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 60-65 Ungar, E., Sturz, D. and Amick, C. 1990).Vibration control design of high technology facilities, Sound and Vibration. Vol. 24, No. 7, pp. 20-27. Blevins, R.(2001).Formulas for natural frequency and mode shape. Krieger Publishing Company Read More