Spike
How does a 'Spike Test' differ from a 'Spike' in reliability engineering?
A Spike Test is a software reliability evaluation measuring system behavior under sudden load surges; a Spike in reliability is a physical transient event (e.g., voltage spike) that stresses hardware assets.
Should a CMMS auto-generate a work order for every detected spike?
No; only spikes exceeding a validated threshold (e.g., >470ms duration or >4x normal load) that correlate with known failure modes should trigger work orders to avoid noise.
What is the relationship between 'Spike' and 'Failure Mode'?
A spike is often the triggering event (cause), while the failure mode is the resulting physical mechanism (e.g., 'insulation burnout').
In industrial reliability, a 'spike' refers to a transient anomaly such as a voltage, pressure, or temperature spike detected in asset sensor data. It is not a standard maintenance task but a sudden, sharp deviation in a physical parameter that may indicate potential failure. In CMMS contexts like ServiceGrid, spikes are monitored and can trigger high-priority alerts or work orders to prevent catastrophic damage.
On the shop floor, spikes are monitored via sensors that detect sudden deviations in parameters like motor current or pressure. When a spike occurs, the CMMS triggers a high-priority work order or notification to prevent catastrophic failure. Reliability engineers analyze time-series data to distinguish true faults from sensor glitches. Proper handling involves setting validated thresholds to avoid alert fatigue and conducting root cause analysis to address upstream issues like grid instability, ensuring repeat breakdowns are minimized.
Ignoring transient events as noise leads to progressive insulation breakdown or seal fatigue, causing catastrophic asset failure.
Over-configuring alert thresholds too low causes alert fatigue from minor fluctuations, drowning out critical failure signals.
Lack of root cause analysis after a spike results in repeat breakdowns, as only the alarm is reset without addressing the source.