Tecchio Paolo, Ardente Fulvio, Mathieux Fabrice
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy.
J Clean Prod. 2019 Apr 1;215:1112-1122. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.01.044.
The available literature on average lifetimes and failure modes of household appliances is mainly based on results of surveys conducted among end-users, but very little precise information can be found on specific failure modes and repair rates. The main objective of this study is to provide quantitative data about frequent failures and average service lifetimes of two household appliances, through the analysis of repair services performed by professional repair operators. We based our analysis on available datasets provided by a representative independent repair centre based in Europe, and we focused on the failures most frequently occurring and the potential repair or discard of the appliances. A database of about 11,000 diagnoses on defective washing machines and dishwashers was analysed, and frequent failure modes and repair rates were identified. The analysis was supported by a tailored visualisation of results. Concerning washing machines, recurring failures diagnosed by the repair operator regarded the electronics, shock absorbers and bearings, doors, carbon brushes and pumps. While the highest repair rates (repaired devices over total diagnosed devices with a specific failure mode) were observed for doors, carbon brushes and removal of foreign objects, the lowest rates were observed for bearings, drums and tubs, circulation pumps and electronics. Regarding dishwashers, recurring failures involved pumps, electronics, aquastop and valves, foreign objects and doors. The lowest repair rates, however, were again observed for circulation pumps and electronics. We also observed that the average service lifetime of an appliance not repaired by repair centre operators is 12.6 years for washing machines and 12 years for dishwashers. This work brings important knowledge on lifetimes and failure modes of defective washing machines and dishwashers, concerning in particular weak and critical components, but also age of appliances to be repaired. Based on the exercise on the two appliances, we discuss a possible classification scheme for repair services of household appliances, including both information retrieved by professional repair operators and information retrieved through interviews with end-users.
关于家用电器平均使用寿命和故障模式的现有文献主要基于对终端用户进行的调查结果，但关于特定故障模式和维修率的精确信息却很少。本研究的主要目的是通过分析专业维修人员提供的维修服务，提供有关两种家用电器常见故障和平均使用寿命的定量数据。我们的分析基于欧洲一家具有代表性的独立维修中心提供的现有数据集，重点关注最常出现的故障以及电器的潜在维修或报废情况。对一个包含约11000个洗衣机和洗碗机故障诊断的数据库进行了分析，确定了常见故障模式和维修率。该分析得到了定制的结果可视化的支持。对于洗衣机，维修人员诊断出的反复出现的故障涉及电子元件、减震器和轴承、门、碳刷和泵。虽然门、碳刷和清除异物的维修率最高（特定故障模式下维修的设备占总诊断设备的比例），但轴承、滚筒和桶、循环泵和电子元件的维修率最低。对于洗碗机，反复出现的故障涉及泵、电子元件、防漏阀和阀门、异物和门。然而，循环泵和电子元件的维修率再次最低。我们还观察到，未由维修中心操作人员维修的电器的平均使用寿命，洗衣机为12.6年，洗碗机为12年。这项工作带来了关于有缺陷的洗衣机和洗碗机的使用寿命和故障模式的重要知识，特别是关于薄弱和关键部件，以及待维修电器的使用年限。基于对这两种电器的研究，我们讨论了一种可能的家用电器维修服务分类方案，包括专业维修人员获取的信息和通过对终端用户访谈获取的信息。
