FMECA Training

FMECA Training

FMECA Training, Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis course covers the theory, techniques, calculations, process, and strategies you would need to know in order to design and apply a FMECA in your organization.

What is FMECA?

FMECA, which stands for failure modes, effects, and criticality analysis, is a method to identify and analyze:

• All potential failure modes of the different parts of a system
• The impacts of these failures on the system
• How to prevent the failures, and/or reduce their effects on the system

FMECA is a methodology applied to identify, prioritize, and remove all potential failures from the system, design, or process before they get to the customer. In other words, FMECA is a proactive problem-solving technique that resolves the potential issues in a system before they even occur.

FMECA Background

• FMECA was one of the first organized methods for failure analysis
• The U.S. Military developed FMECA. The first standard was Military Procedure MIL-P-1629 “Procedures for performing a failure mode, effects and criticality analysis” in November 9, 1949
• FMECA is the most popular reliability analysis methods used in the early stages of product/system development
• FMECA is usually conducted during the conceptual and early design stages of the system in order to ensure that all potential failure modes are taken into consideration and the appropriate provisions are made to remove these failures

FMECA Applications

• Helps in selecting the design that has the greatest reliability and safety potential during the initial design phases
• Assure that all plausible failure modes and their effects on the system are investigated
• Outline all the potential failures and determine the severity of their effects
• Develop early standards for test planning and requirements for test equipment
• Document data for the future use to aid in analysis of field failures and design changes consideration
• Provide a basis for maintenance planning
• Provide a basis for quantitative reliability and availability assessment

What are the FMECA Basic Questions?

• How can each part possibly fail?
• What devices might generate these modes of failure?
• What could be the impacts if the failures did occur?
• Is the failure in the safe or unsafe way?
• How is the failure identified?
• What essential provisions are considered in the design to make up for the failure?

When Should FMECA be Applied?

The FMECA should be started as early in the design process, where we can have the highest effects on the equipment reliability.

FMECA Approaches

Bottom-up approach

• The bottom-up approach is applied when a system model has been approved. Each component is investigated one-by-one.
• The bottom-up approach is also called hardware approach. The analysis is complete since all components are considered.

Top-down approach

• The top-down approach is usually applied in initial design phase before the entire system framework is finalized.
• The analysis is usually function oriented.
• The analysis begins with the major system functions – and how these might fail.
• Functional failures with high impacts are prioritized in the assessments.
• The assessment will not necessarily be complete.
• The top-down approach could be used on an already existing system to resolve the existing problems.

FMECA Basic Procedure

1. FMECA prerequisites
2. System structure analysis
3. Failure analysis and preparation of FMECA worksheets
4. Team review
5. Corrective actions

FMECA Prerequisites

• Defining the system to be analyzed
  • System boundaries (which parts should be included and which should not)
  • Main system missions and functions (functional requirements)
  • Operational and environmental conditions to be considered
• Gathering relevant information that describes the system to be analyzed
  • Drawings, specifications, schematics, component lists, interface information, functional descriptions
• Gathering information about previous and similar designs from internal and external sources
  • FRACAS data, interviews with design personnel, operations and maintenance personnel, component suppliers

FMECA Risk Ranking

Risk matrix

• The risk related to failure mode is a function of the frequency of the failure mode and the potential end effects (severity) of the failure mode.
• The risk may be illustrated in a so-called risk matrix

Risk priority number (RPN)

An alternative to the risk matrix is to use the ranking of:

All ranks are given on a scale from 1 to 10. The risk priority number (RPN) is defined as

RPN = S×O×D

O = the rank of the occurrence of the failure mode

S = the rank of the severity of the failure mode

D = the rank of the likelihood the failure will be detected before the system reaches the end-user/customer.

The smaller the RPN the better – and – the larger the worse.

Corrective Actions Plan

The risk may be reduced by introducing:

• Design changes
• Engineered safety features
• Safety devices
• Warning devices
• Procedures/training

Audience

FMECA Training, Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis Training is a 2-day course designed for:

• Cross functional team members
• Internal auditors
• Quality team members
• New product development managers
• R&D personnel
• All individuals who are involved in the process of prioritizing reliability improvement and/or determining the potential failure modes and suitable inhibitory actions.

What Will You Learn?

• Overview
• Introduction to FMECA
• FMCEA Techniques
• Failure Modes
• Criticality Analysis
• FMECA Checklist
• Gathering Up The FMECA Team
• Putting Together
• TONEX Hands-On Workshop

FMECA Training