Your Reliability Engineering Professional Development Site
[Last month I mentioned that the next article would be on the subject of the application of models in the FMEA process. I am postponing that important topic, in order to do more research. Stay tuned . . .]
This month, I want to discuss one of the most common problems that FMEA teams face: getting confused about the difference between failure modes, effects and causes.
“Things are not always as they seem; the first appearance deceives many.” Phaedrus
Carl and Fred sharing suggestions for new reliability engineers on what to do when starting your first job.
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Carl and Fred discussing a question from an Inside FMEA reader on the subject of Process FMEA. It brings up a general topic of root cause, and whether assigning the cause to various forms of operator error is useful.
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Carl and Fred discussing a reader question having to do with the use of the reliability bathtub curve, including the efficacy of the curve itself.
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Carl and Fred discussing some of the biggest reliability mistakes they have seen in their careers, and the lessons learned from those mistakes.
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What is the difference between FMEA and FMECA? Are they the same or different? The answer may surprise you. Let’s explore this topic.
Carl and Fred discussing the interesting subject of “blind spots,” and how they can impede good designs.
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Carl and Fred discussing how focusing on helping others can enhance your reliability career and provide a sense of community.
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Carl and Fred discussing the integration of artificial intelligence with the tools and procedures of reliability engineering.
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Carl and Fred discussing the integration of reliability activities with engineering decisions, and how to enhance this important intersection.
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Some defense-related applications require a special type of criticality analysis, called Quantitative Criticality Analysis to supplement FMEA applications. This is the “C” in what is called FMECA: Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis. I’ll shorten Criticality Analysis to CA in this article.
What is Quantitative CA? When and why it is used? Can Quantitative Criticality Analysis be used in commercial applications?
Carl and Fred discussing a reader question about FMEAs. Specifically, whether reliability predictions (for similar systems) are valid input to the Occurrence rating in an FMEA.
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Did you know that early FMEA standards did not include recommendations to reduce risk? They limited the analysis to the technical risk, without making specific recommendations. The first time I am aware of that an FMEA standard added a column called “Recommended Actions” was in 1993. Thankfully, it is common practice today to include Recommended Actions in FMEAs.
But what makes for excellent Recommended Actions and what is their role in an FMEA? We’ll begin with the fundamentals.
Carl and Fred discussing the second step in achieving high reliability: “Develop a Reliability Gap Assessment.”
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Carl and Fred discussing the first step in achieving high reliability: “Develop a Reliability Strategic Vision.”
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