Design for Zero-Maintenance

This chapter looks at the concept of zero-maintenance, in particular how it relates to design. It begins by defining what constitutes zero-maintenance, presenting current research on the themes of autonomous maintenance and self-healing and repair. A wider context of how zero-maintenance affects through-life engineering services is also discussed with a focus on the no-fault found phenomenon. Case studies are then presented for design strategies in self-healing electronics and no-fault found and the failure of design. Finally, a design for zero-maintenance process is outlined and discussed.