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Failure modes, effects, and diagnostic analysis
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<p>Failure modes, effects, and diagnostic analysis (FMEDA) is a systematic analysis technique to obtain subsystem / device level <a href="/facts/Failure_rate/shlTIKKg">failure rates</a>, <a href="/facts/Failure_mode/4Ue191js">failure modes</a> and <a href="/facts/Diagnostic/VcsPwshd">diagnostic</a> capability. The FMEDA technique considers: </p> <ul><li>All components of a design,</li> <li>The <a href="/facts/Function_(engineering)/kUQFAh2o">functionality</a> of each component,</li> <li>The failure modes of each component,</li> <li>The effect of each component failure mode on the product functionality,</li> <li>The ability of any automatic diagnostics to detect the failure,</li> <li>The design strength (de-rating, safety factors),</li> <li>The impact of any latent fault tests, and</li> <li>The operational profile (environmental stress factors).</li></ul> <p>Given a component database calibrated with field failure data that is reasonably accurate, the method can predict device level failure rate per failure mode, useful life, automatic diagnostic effectiveness, and latent fault test effectiveness for a given application. The predictions have been shown to be more accurate than field warranty return analysis or even typical field failure analysis given that these methods depend on reports that typically do not have sufficient detail information in failure records. </p><p>An FMEDA can predict failure rates per defined failure modes. For <a href="/facts/Functional_Safety/25x2kWbs">Functional Safety</a> applications the <a href="/facts/IEC_61508/ukK51hVR">IEC 61508</a> failure modes (safe, dangerous, annunciation, and no effect) are used. These failure rate numbers can be converted into the alternative failure modes from the automotive functional safety standard, <a href="/facts/ISO_26262/HWp4Cazz">ISO 26262</a>. </p><p>The FMEDA name was given by Dr. William M. Goble in 1994 to the technique that had been in development since 1988 by Dr. Goble and other engineers now at exida. </p>