Optimal Maintenance Decision for Deteriorating Components in Miter Gates Using Markov Chain Prediction Model

Abstract

Maintenance of miter gates in navigation locks is crucial to facilitate water navigation of cargo ships. Scheduled and unscheduled maintenance are the two types of actions performed to keep miter gates continuously operational. In practice, visual inspections and rating systems are used to monitor the current state of miter gate components in order to prioritize maintenance. This paper shows an example of how to find the optimal time to plan for maintenance using deterioration curves obtained from real visual inspection assessments of components in miter gates. Predictive deterioration curves are derived using a Markov Chain approach. In addition, the advantages of implementing Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) are discussed.