APPLICATION OF DATA MINING AND ANALYSIS TO ASSESS MILITARY GROUND VEHICLE COMPONENTS

Camber Corporation, under contract with the TACOM Life Cycle Management Command Integrated Logistics Support Center, has developed an innovative process of data mining and analysis to extract information from Army logistics databases, identify top cost and demand drivers, understand trends, and isolate environmental issues.

These analysis techniques were initially used to assess TACOM-managed equipment in extended operations in Southwest Asia (SWA). In 2009, at the request of TACOM and the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), these data mining processes were applied to four tactical vehicle platforms in support of Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) initiatives.

This paper describes an enhanced data mining and analysis methodology used to identify and rank components as candidates for CBM sensors, assess total cost of repair/replacement and determine potential return on investment in applying CBM technology.

Also discussed in this paper is the validation phase for investigating components of high interest in terms of cost, demand, and criticality. This involved field reports, physical analysis, root cause identification, and Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) leading to recommendations for corrective actions, revised maintenance procedures, and the development of CBM scenarios.