Part 7: Next roadmap in on-stte wear surveying

After determining what needs to be measured, how to organize a survey, how to establish a baseline, and how to use measurements to compare solutions, the next step depends on the actual condition of the location and the data currently available at the plant.

Not every case needs to begin with a full survey. At some locations, it may only be necessary to retain the measurement points before replacing the material. In other cases, the required information may already be available in the operating log. For material-flow blockage problems, direct observation while the equipment is operating may be an indispensable step.

1. Before the first survey visit, access conditions need to be confirmed

An important part of the survey is carried out before arriving at the plant. If the equipment condition, responsible personnel, or access conditions are unclear, the engineer may reach the site but still be unable to obtain the required data.

Preparation step	Activity to be performed	Article to review
1	Confirm the location to be surveyed and the access conditions	Part 2: 3-step process for surveying a wear location
2	Check documentation and safety requirements before entering the plant	Part 2: 3-step process for surveying a wear location
3	Prepare forms and the information to be recorded	Part 1: 4 factors to measure when surveying material wear in an industrial plant
4	Prepare a reference scale and tools for relocating measurement points	Part 4: Measuring wear rate and establishing a baseline

Advance confirmation is particularly important because access to the equipment depends on operating status, shutdown schedules, and the safety regulations of each plant.

If the team arrives when the equipment cannot be accessed or no person familiar with the operating history is available to accompany them, much of the required information cannot be added during the survey.

2. Before replacing the material, retain data that cannot be recovered later

When the plant is preparing to replace the material at a location, data on the existing material need to be recorded before removal.

Four activities need to be prioritized:

Activity to be performed	Purpose
Measure the baseline of the existing material	Retain the condition before replacement
Mark 3 measurement points and 1 control point	Establish fixed locations for subsequent measurements
Take photographs showing the measurement-point marks and reference scale within the same frame	Help relocate the exact positions
Record the replacement threshold determined by the plant	Provide input for evaluating remaining service life

Among these data, the baseline of the existing material cannot be fully recreated after the material has been removed from the equipment.

The measurement points also need to be marked from the outset. If a subsequent measurement is taken at a different location, the two thickness values will no longer provide a sufficient basis for calculating the wear rate at the same point.

The method for organizing monitoring milestones and calculating wear rate is presented in Part 4: Measuring wear rate and establishing a baseline.

3. When the extent of operational impact needs to be demonstrated but no measurements are available, the operating log can be the starting point

Measuring equipment is not always required as the first step.

If the immediate objective is to determine the extent to which a location is affecting operations, the operating log can provide important initial data.

Three items of information should be obtained first:

the number of interventions per year at the location
the number of downtime hours per intervention
whether the location has previously caused an unplanned shutdown

These data help convert descriptions such as “frequent failures”, “requires frequent patching”, or “this location causes a lot of problems” into information that can be analyzed further.

The source of each figure also needs to be clearly recorded. Direct measurements, figures provided by the plant, and figures calculated from other data should not be presented as if they were the same type of data.

4. Each department can start with a different article

Not every department needs to read all the content in the same order. The starting point should be linked to the work the reader is currently handling.

Audience	Content to review first
Survey engineer	Part 1: 4 factors to measure when surveying material wear in an industrial plant → Part 2: 3-step process for surveying a wear location → Part 3: Surveying a material-flow blockage location
Maintenance, operations	Part 4: Measuring wear rate and establishing a baseline
Procurement, materials	Part 5: From measurements to economic decision-making
Plant management	Part 5: From measurements to economic decision-making → Part 6: Designing a trial at a location
Personnel new to field surveys	Start with Part 1, then proceed to Part 2 before going to the site

For procurement, the important transition is from qualitative assessment to comparable data. Describing a location only as “wearing quickly” is not sufficient to place two solutions side by side in terms of service life and cost of use.

5. Three actions the plant can start immediately

Some data can be generated using existing resources without organizing a separate full survey.

5.1. Mark measurement points at one location

Activity	Purpose
Select 3 measurement points and 1 control point	Distinguish the primary damaged zone from the condition of the entire component
Mark the points using paint or stamping	Help return to the exact locations during subsequent measurements
Measure the thickness 3 times and use the median	Limit the influence of an anomalous measurement
Take photographs showing the measurement-point marks and reference scale	Help identify the locations again at subsequent milestones

This is a simple activity but one that is very difficult to compensate for if omitted. After the material has been replaced, accurately identifying the previous measurement points may no longer be possible.

5.2. Use a consistent reference scale when taking photographs

Field photographs from different surveys are easier to compare when the same dimensional reference is used.

A consistent type of reference scale should be selected and placed within the same frame as the location being recorded.

Hands or objects with non-fixed dimensions should not be used as reference standards.

5.3. Obtain three data points from the operating log

Three items of information that can be compiled immediately are the number of interventions per year, the number of downtime hours per intervention, and the history of unplanned shutdowns associated with the location.

These figures do not replace technical field data but help determine the extent to which the location is affecting maintenance and operations.

6. When should a field survey be carried out at the location?

A survey is valuable when the objective is to add missing data required for the next evaluation stage.

Activity performed at the site	Required outcome
Record influencing factors and operating conditions	A dataset reflecting the actual condition of the location
Mark fixed measurement points	A basis for monitoring at subsequent milestones
Clearly record the source of each data group	Distinguish direct measurements, information provided by the plant, and calculated values
Record information that could not yet be measured and the reason	Identify the information that still needs to be added

Four situations in which a direct survey should be considered are:

the operating conditions have not yet been sufficiently recorded
the location experiences material-flow blockage and requires observation while the equipment is operating
the plant is preparing to replace the material but no baseline has been established
a trial needs to be designed with a control location and clearly defined stopping criteria

7. When is a separate survey not yet necessary?

Not every location requires an additional survey visit.

Situation	Reason a separate survey may not yet be required
Only measurement points need to be marked before replacement	This can be done immediately when the location is accessed
The location continues to operate through the full maintenance cycle and does not cause unplanned shutdowns	It has not yet become a priority for intervention
Only data from the operating log need to be compiled	The information already exists and needs to be reorganized for use
The main issue lies in material-flow design	Additional wear measurements do not directly address the primary cause

A survey should be carried out when it adds data required for a specific technical or operational decision.

If the location continues to operate through maintenance cycles, does not cause unplanned shutdowns, and has not yet created an operational bottleneck, additional measurement may not be the immediate priority.

8. From mechanism identification to material-group selection

Three knowledge groups are connected in a sequence from problem identification to solution selection:

Stage	Knowledge group	Role
Mechanism identification	Material wear and failure mechanisms	Identify the mechanism from damage patterns and operating conditions
Measurement of actual conditions	Field survey, measurement and diagnostics	Generate data and establish a baseline at the location
Material-group selection	Principles of material selection	Match operating conditions with the appropriate material group

This sequence helps avoid moving directly from an observation such as “rapid wear” to the name of a specific material.

Before selection, the damage mechanism needs to be understood and data on the operating conditions need to be available. If these input data are missing, the material-selection stage also lacks a sufficient basis for comparison.

9. Notes when applying this knowledge

Three points need to remain clear.

First, this content helps determine the work sequence based on the current condition of the location; it does not provide a common replacement threshold. The replacement threshold depends on the operating and safety requirements of each plant.

Second, the baseline of the existing material and the initial reference point of the new material need to be recorded at the correct time. Once these milestones are missed, the initial data cannot be fully recreated.

Third, the cases in which a separate survey may not yet be required are only common situations. The decision on whether a survey is necessary still needs to be based on the objective to be addressed and the information currently available at the plant.

The survey roadmap does not necessarily need to begin with a field visit. What needs to be done first depends on which data are already available, which data are at risk of being lost, and which decision the plant needs to make. Maintaining the correct sequence helps avoid collecting additional data that are not yet necessary while also preventing the loss of data that cannot be recovered later.