Concurrent Engineering

Rule base method :- Failure Mode and Effect Analysis

Lecture Session 03

Eng. K.C Wickramasinghe

BSc(Hons), AMIESL
Dept. of Mechanical & Manufacturing
Engineering,

Faculty of Engineering,
University of Ruhuna.

01

Introduction
FMEA is a procedure for analysis of potential failure modes within
a system for the classification by severity or determination of the
failure's effect upon the system.

02

Why FMEA
To identify potential failure modes
To determine their effect on the operation
of the product

To identify actions to mitigate the failures.

The early and consistent use of FMEAs in the design process
allows the engineer to design out failures and produce reliable,
safe, and customer pleasing products.

03

FMEA Types
System - focuses on global system functions
Design - focuses on components and subsystems
Process - focuses on manufacturing and assembly processes
Service - focuses on service functions

04

FMEA Usage
Develop product or process requirements that minimize the likelihood of those
failures.
Evaluate the requirements obtained from the customer or other participants in

the design process to ensure that those requirements do not introduce potential
failures.
Identify design characteristics that contribute to failures and design them out of

the system or at least minimize the resulting effects.

Develop methods and procedures to develop and test the product/process to
ensure that the failures have been successfully eliminated.

Track and manage potential risks in the design.

Ensure that any failures that could occur will not injure or seriously impact the
customer of the product/process.
05

FMEA Benefits
Improve product/process reliability and quality
Increase customer satisfaction
Early identification and elimination of potential product/process
failure modes

Prioritize product/process deficiencies

Emphasizes problem prevention
Documents risk and actions taken to reduce risk
Provide focus for improved testing and development
Minimizes late changes and associated cost

Catalyst for teamwork and idea exchange between functions

06

Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA)

Project:

Date:

FMEA
Team:

Prepared
by:

SEV = How severe is effect on the customer?

OCC = How frequent is the cause likely to occur?
DET = How probable is detection of cause?
RPN = Risk priority number in order to rank concerns; calculated as SEV x OCC x DET

Process
step

Potential Potential
failure
failure
mode
effects

What is
the
impact on
the
customer
In what
if the
What is
ways can
failure
the step? the step
mode is
go wrong?
not
prevented
or
corrected
?

S
E
V

10

Potential
causes

What
causes
the step
to go
wrong?
(i.e., How
could the
failure
mode
occur?)

O
C
C

10

Current
process
controls

What are
the
existing
controls
that either
prevent
the failure
mode
from
occurring
or detect
it should
it occur?

D
E
T

10

R
P
N

Actions
recomm
ended

Responsi
bility
Actions
(target
taken
date)

1000

What are
the
actions
for
reducing
the
occurrenc
e of the
cause or
for
improving
its
detection
? You
should
provide
actions
on all high
RPNs and
on
severity
ratings of
9 or 10.

Who is
responsibl
e for the
recomme
nded
action?
What
date
should it
be
complete
d by?

What
were the
actions
implemen
ted?
Include
completio
n
month/ye
ar (then
recalculat
e
resulting
RPN).

N S
e E
w V

N O
e C
w C

N D
e E
w T

N R
e P
w N

10

10

10

1000

0 07

08

FMEA Procedure
Describe the product/process and its function. - Column 1

Create a Block Diagram of the product or process. This

diagram shows major components or process steps as blocks
connected together by lines that indicate how the components
or steps are related.
If items are components, list them in a logical manner under
their subsystem/assembly based on the block diagram.

09

FMEA Procedure
Identify Failure Modes. A failure mode is defined as the
manner in which a component, subsystem, system, process,
etc. could potentially fail to meet the design intent. - Column 2
Examples of potential failure modes include:

Corrosion

Hydrogen embrittlement

Electrical Short or Open

Torque Fatigue

Deformation

Cracking
10

FMEA Procedure

For each failure mode - determine what the ultimate effect will be.

A failure effect is defined as the result of a failure mode on the function of

the product/process as perceived by the customer. They should be described

in terms of what the customer might see or experience should the identified
failure mode occur. Examples of failure effects include:

Injury to the user

Inoperability of the product or process

Improper appearance of the product or process

Odors

Degraded performance

11

FMEA Procedure
Establish a numerical ranking for the severity of the effect Column 4

Identify the causes for each failure mode Column 5

Examples of potential causes include:

Improper torque applied

Improper operating conditions

Contamination

Erroneous algorithms

Improper alignment

Excessive loading

Excessive voltage

12

FMEA Procedure
Enter the Probability factor-Column 6
A numerical weight should be assigned to each cause that
indicates how likely that cause is (probability of the cause
occurring). A common industry standard scale uses 1 to
represent not likely and 10 to indicate inevitable.

Identify Current Controls (design or process) Column7

These are the mechanisms that prevent the cause of the failure
mode from occurring or which detect the failure before it
reaches the Customer.
Determine the likelihood of Detection - Column 8

13

FMEA Procedure

Column 9 - Review Risk Priority Numbers (RPN).

The Risk Priority Number is a mathematical product of the numerical

Severity, Probability, and Detection ratings:
RPN = (Severity) x (Probability) x (Detection)

Determine Recommended Action(s) to address potential failures that have a

high RPN - Column 10

Assign Responsibility and a Target Completion Date for these actions

Column 11

Column 12- Indicate Actions Taken. After these actions have been taken, reassess the severity, probability and detection and review the revised RPN's.
Are any further actions required?
14

FMEA Procedure
Update the FMEA as the design or process changes, the assessment
changes or new information becomes known

15