<html><head><base href="http://www.npd-solutions.com/fmea.html"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><base href="http://www.npd-solutions.com/fmea.html">FYI<div>R<br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>From: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Robert Milligan <<a href="mailto:mill@continuum.org">mill@continuum.org</a>></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Date: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">July 1, 2010 10:18:28 PM GMT-04:00</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>To: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Darshpreet Bhatti <<a href="mailto:bdarshpr@region.waterloo.on.ca">bdarshpr@region.waterloo.on.ca</a>></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Cc: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Chair Ken Seiling <<a href="mailto:sken@region.waterloo.on.ca">sken@region.waterloo.on.ca</a>>, CAO Mike Murray <<a href="mailto:mmike@region.waterloo.on.ca">mmike@region.waterloo.on.ca</a>>, Mayor Doug Craig <<a href="mailto:craigd@cambridge.ca">craigd@cambridge.ca</a>></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Subject: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>LRT RE: FAILURE MODES AND EFFECTS ANALYSIS (FMEA) + DESIGN THINKING +</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div> </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0; "><div bgcolor="#ffffff" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; ">Darshpreet,</div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; "><br></div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; ">This email is in response to recent critical statements to me about your perception of the inadequacy of my LRT approach. In a phone message to you I suggested that I welcomed good criticism but that you needed to raise the bar of your criticism's quality above that on this occasion -- perhaps the lower amount than expected from the Province caused a transference of your feelings. I must say though that I have been generally pleased with your work and openness.</div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; "><br></div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; ">What follows addresses the substance of you comments -- and then some.</div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; "><br></div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; "><b style="color: black; position: relative; ">As you know, I am of (what I consider) the well-founded view that your current LRT System Design -- if it does not incorporate necessary subtle cost-effective enhancements <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b style="color: black; position: relative; ">-- will fail.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>Then just in case that I am right (and even though you consider that eventuality remote), you should be taking steps to better ensure that the current LRT system design will not fail in ridership, intensification and cost. This is especially because such a failure would be so very dertimental re: wasting of taxpayer's scarce financial resources & our Region's image of very successful innovation. Among other things, knowledge of FMEA will help to constructively prevent with such a situation. What's good for smart businesses, certainly can be good for the Region and its LRT project engineers and planners! (See below and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Failure_mode_and_effects_analysis)">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Failure_mode_and_effects_analysis)</a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; "><br></div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; ">You will notice below that FMEA'S use of the word DESIGN, "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; ">focuses on components and subsystems<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; ">", is the same narrow-focused view as yours -- and yes it is your "convention". However, the University of Waterloo's (unique in the World) System Design Engineering program does not deal exclusively with the design of "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; ">components and subsystems<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; ">". Like myself, their view of design & system design is very inclusive, viz. "Solving engineering problems often requires the modification or creation of systems. The process we use to do that is design practice – the skills of <b style="color: black; position: relative; ">creative problem solving</b>, and interdisciplinary teamwork for innovation and synthesis." (See, <a href="http://www.systems.uwaterloo.ca/about/syde.html)">http://www.systems.uwaterloo.ca/about/syde.html)</a></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; "><br></div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; ">Keep in mind that the most successful innovators often break with some "problematic" conventions and rules. I appreciate that neither your profession nor the Region's organizational culture generally encourages such "heretical" thinking so necessary for significant innovative accomplishment & job satisfaction -- and taxpayer return on their investment.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; "><br></div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; ">But, unless you are supported by those in the management hierarchy above you (e,g. one Commissioner would likely support you while the other may not), necessary innovation could be personally impossible . (<b style="color: black; position: relative; ">Essentially such innovation would mean including some new IDEAS so as to minimally enhance the current good-but-faulty current system design by: 1) a transit-time-saving Ridership Corridor "overlay", 2) intelligently staging the Intensification Corridors, and 3) synergistically collaborating via mutually-beneficial 3P agreements with CP & GEXR on bridge, underpass, and track sharing.</b>) </div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; "><br></div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; "><b style="color: black; position: relative; ">Certainly our Regional Chair could play a key role in establishing a more innovative & entrepreneurial organizational culture.</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>But to date he seems too busy with other more important responsibilities (such as getting enough money to proceed with the LRT) to have the time & energy to generate the interest & enthusiasm necessary to strongly support aligning our Regional government with the innovation level of our universities and corporations. (Maybe I need to more innovative myself in how I might encourage him ! )</div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; "><br></div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; ">I pledge to you that I will do all that I can to encourage your political masters that It is in the best interest of the Region and all its major urban centres for these politicians to direct all staff (and their consultants) to learn to creatively innovate so as to become much more cost-effective in all their work, especially with our LRT system design on which so much is riding. </div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; "><br></div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; ">Certainly the very readable 5-star book, "CHANGE BY DESIGN: How design thinking transforms organizations and inspires innovation" will be useful to all concerned as the Region struggles to meet the Waterloo Innovation Benchmark in all its great endeavours. See <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Change-Design-Tim-Brown/dp/0061766089">http://www.amazon.ca/Change-Design-Tim-Brown/dp/0061766089</a></div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; "><br></div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; ">Best wishes,</div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; ">Robert</div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; "><br></div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; "><div style="position: relative; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'"><b style="color: black; position: relative; ">Robert Milligan</b> is a member of Transport Action Ontario (formerly Transport 2000). He has a BSc in math-physics. a Graduate Diploma in Education and has completed many other courses including ones in industrial engineering, operations research and environmental health. He was a high school teacher, business systems analyst and environmental health analyst. Much of his time in retirement is now given freely to public projects, especially those with significant environmental and health features.</font></div><div style="position: relative; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'"><br></font></div></div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; "><br></div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; ">PS: 1. <b style="color: black; position: relative; ">One key person (not from Cambridge) has claimed very recently that my approach to including Cambridge in the LRT's first stage also is inadequate.</b> Perhaps it has not been interpreted to him adequately by staff. Let me clarify. That first stage approach as it would involve Cambridge is to: 1) have the Ridership Corridor go south to the Ainslie Terminal via the rail right-of-way (intensifying the Dundas/Beverly area) with just-in-time bus connections so that the resulting much less travel time will deal with developing tri-city traffic jams from the get go; 2) initially use single track with station and between-station passing (as with Ottawa's O-Train LRT) enabled by proven-for-rail Intelligent Transportation System technology but designed to upgrade to 2-tracks when demand merits it (as the O-Train is now doing); and 3) make Hespler Road into (a less disruptive & less costly single-track with mid-station passing) Intensification Corridor at a later stage when it is ready (eastern hwy 24 by-pass, and motivated developers).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b style="color: black; position: relative; ">Please note that such inclusion of Cambridge would be necessary to be able to offer to CP & GEXR advantages that will allow then to financially justify their participation in 3P collaborative agreements so necessary for the time-locked track, bridge and underpass sharing that will literally save millions of $ in capital costs!!</b></div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; "><br></div><div style="text-align: left; position: relative; ">2. And please do not demand that I cost out my LRT system design proposed enhancements -- detailed costing is obviously not my area of expertise and I don't have access to the necessary information. But even the average layperson would have sufficient understanding and common sense to realize that the enhancement IDEAS that I am proposing would dramatically both improve performance and decrease costs! I expect not only as much of you but much, much more! A more innovative and entrepreneurial organizational culture may allow that.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; color: black; text-align: left; position: relative; "><br></div><table cellspacing="0" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; vertical-align: top; text-align: left; padding-top: 0pt; padding-right: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-left: 0pt; "><tbody><tr style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; "><td valign="top" bgcolor="white" width="108" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; font-style: normal; vertical-align: top; "><font face="Arial" size="1" color="white">Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is methodology to analyze and mitigate potential failures.</font></td><td bgcolor="#000066" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; font-style: normal; vertical-align: top; "><h3 style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: bold; font-size: 14pt; color: white; text-align: center; position: relative; ">FAILURE MODES AND EFFECTS ANALYSIS (FMEA)</h3><h4 style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 12pt; color: white; text-align: center; ">Kenneth Crow<br>DRM Associates</h4><p class="center" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; text-align: center; "><font size="1" color="white">© 2002 DRM Associates All rights reserved. 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The increasing capabilities and functionality of many products are making it more difficult for manufacturers to maintain the quality and reliability. Traditionally, reliability has been achieved through extensive testing and use of techniques such as probabilistic reliability modeling. These are techniques done in the late stages of development. The challenge is to design in quality and reliability early in the development cycle.</p><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left; color: black; position: relative; ">Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is methodology for analyzing potential reliability problems early in the development cycle where it is easier to take actions to overcome these issues, thereby enhancing reliability through design. FMEA is used to identify potential failure modes, determine their effect on the operation of the product, and identify actions to mitigate the failures. A crucial step is anticipating what might go wrong with a product. While anticipating every failure mode is not possible, the development team should formulate as extensive a list of potential failure modes as possible.</p><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left; color: black; position: relative; ">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. FMEAs also capture historical information for use in future product improvement.</p><h5 style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: bold; font-size: 12pt; color: navy; position: relative; ">Types of FMEA's</h5><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left; color: black; position: relative; ">There are several types of FMEAs, some are used much more often than others. FMEAs should always be done whenever failures would mean potential harm or injury to the user of the end item being designed. The types of FMEA are:</p><ul style="position: relative; margin-left: 0.5in; "><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">System - focuses on global system functions</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Design - focuses on components and subsystems</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Process - focuses on manufacturing and assembly processes</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Service - focuses on service functions</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Software - focuses on software functions</li></ul><h5 style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: bold; font-size: 12pt; color: navy; position: relative; ">FMEA Usage</h5><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left; color: black; position: relative; ">Historically, engineers have done a good job of evaluating the functions and the form of products and processes in the design phase. They have not always done so well at designing in reliability and quality. Often the engineer uses safety factors as a way of making sure that the design will work and protected the user against product or process failure. As described in a recent article:</p><blockquote style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; margin-left: 0.5in; ">"A large safety factor does not necessarily translate into a reliable product. Instead, it often leads to an overdesigned product with reliability problems."</blockquote><blockquote style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; margin-left: 0.5in; "><blockquote style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; margin-left: 0.5in; ">Failure Analysis Beats Murphey's Law<br><em>Mechanical Engineering</em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>, September 1993</blockquote></blockquote><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left; color: black; position: relative; ">FMEA's provide the engineer with a tool that can assist in providing reliable, safe, and customer pleasing products and processes. Since FMEA help the engineer identify potential product or process failures, they can use it to:</p><ul style="position: relative; margin-left: 0.5in; "><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Develop product or process requirements that minimize the likelihood of those failures.</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Evaluate the requirements obtained from the customer or other participants in the design process to ensure that those requirements do not introduce potential failures.</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Identify design characteristics that contribute to failures and design them out of the system or at least minimize the resulting effects.</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Develop methods and procedures to develop and test the product/process to ensure that the failures have been successfully eliminated.</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Track and manage potential risks in the design. Tracking the risks contributes to the development of corporate memory and the success of future products as well.</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Ensure that any failures that could occur will not injure or seriously impact the customer of the product/process.</li></ul><h5 style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: bold; font-size: 12pt; color: navy; position: relative; ">Benefits of FMEA</h5><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left; color: black; position: relative; ">FMEA is designed to assist the engineer improve the quality and reliability of design. Properly used the FMEA provides the engineer several benefits. Among others, these benefits include:</p><ul style="position: relative; margin-left: 0.5in; "><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Improve product/process reliability and quality</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Increase customer satisfaction</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Early identification and elimination of potential product/process failure modes</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Prioritize product/process deficiencies</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Capture engineering/organization knowledge</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Emphasizes problem prevention</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Documents risk and actions taken to reduce risk</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Provide focus for improved testing and development</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Minimizes late changes and associated cost</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Catalyst for teamwork and idea exchange between functions</li></ul><h5 style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: bold; font-size: 12pt; color: navy; position: relative; ">FMEA Timing</h5><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left; color: black; position: relative; ">The FMEA is a living document. Throughout the product development cycle change and updates are made to the product and process. These changes can and often do introduce new failure modes. It is therefore important to review and/or update the FMEA when:</p><ul style="position: relative; margin-left: 0.5in; "><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">A new product or process is being initiated (at the beginning of the cycle).</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Changes are made to the operating conditions the product or process is expected to function in.</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">A change is made to either the product or process design. The product and process are inter-related. When the product design is changed the process is impacted and vice-versa.</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">New regulations are instituted.</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Customer feedback indicates problems in the product or process.</li></ul><h5 style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: bold; font-size: 12pt; color: navy; position: relative; ">FMEA Procedure</h5><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left; color: black; position: relative; ">The process for conducting an FMEA is straightforward. The basic steps are outlined below.</p><ol style="position: relative; margin-left: 0.5in; "><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Describe the product/process and its function. An understanding of the product or process under consideration is important to have clearly articulated. This understanding simplifies the process of analysis by helping the engineer identify those product/process uses that fall within the intended function and which ones fall outside. It is important to consider both intentional and unintentional uses since product failure often ends in litigation, which can be costly and time consuming.<br><br></li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Create a Block Diagram of the product or process. A block diagram of the product/process should be developed. This diagram shows major components or process steps as blocks connected together by lines that indicate how the components or steps are related. The diagram shows the logical relationships of components and establishes a structure around which the FMEA can be developed. Establish a Coding System to identify system elements. The block diagram should always be included with the FMEA form.<br><br></li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Complete the header on the FMEA Form worksheet: Product/System, Subsys./Assy., Component, Design Lead, Prepared By, Date, Revision (letter or number), and Revision Date. Modify these headings as needed.<br><br><img alt="Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) Example 2" src="fmea_example2.jpg"><br></li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Use the diagram prepared above to begin listing items or functions. If items are components, list them in a logical manner under their subsystem/assembly based on the block diagram.<br><br></li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">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. Examples of potential failure modes include:<ul type="square" style="position: relative; margin-left: 0.5in; "><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Corrosion</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Hydrogen embrittlement</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Electrical Short or Open</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Torque Fatigue</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Deformation</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Cracking</li></ul><br></li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">A failure mode in one component can serve as the cause of a failure mode in another component. Each failure should be listed in technical terms. Failure modes should be listed for function of each component or process step. At this point the failure mode should be identified whether or not the failure is likely to occur. Looking at similar products or processes and the failures that have been documented for them is an excellent starting point.<br><br></li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Describe the effects of those failure modes. For each failure mode identified the engineer should 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. Keep in mind the internal as well as the external customer. Examples of failure effects include:<ul type="square" style="position: relative; margin-left: 0.5in; "><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Injury to the user</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Inoperability of the product or process</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Improper appearance of the product or process</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Odors</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Degraded performance</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Noise</li></ul><br>Establish a numerical ranking for the severity of the effect. A common industry standard scale uses 1 to represent no effect and 10 to indicate very severe with failure affecting system operation and safety without warning. The intent of the ranking is to help the analyst determine whether a failure would be a minor nuisance or a catastrophic occurrence to the customer. This enables the engineer to prioritize the failures and address the real big issues first.<br><br></li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Identify the causes for each failure mode. A failure cause is defined as a design weakness that may result in a failure. The potential causes for each failure mode should be identified and documented. The causes should be listed in technical terms and not in terms of symptoms. Examples of potential causes include:<ul type="square" style="position: relative; margin-left: 0.5in; "><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Improper torque applied</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Improper operating conditions</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Contamination</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Erroneous algorithms</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Improper alignment</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Excessive loading</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Excessive voltage</li></ul><br></li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Enter the Probability factor. A numerical weight should be assigned to each cause that indicates how likely that cause is (probability of the cause occuring). A common industry standard scale uses 1 to represent not likely and 10 to indicate inevitable.<br><br></li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Identify Current Controls (design or process). Current Controls (design or process) are the mechanisms that prevent the cause of the failure mode from occurring or which detect the failure before it reaches the Customer. The engineer should now identify testing, analysis, monitoring, and other techniques that can or have been used on the same or similar products/processes to detect failures. Each of these controls should be assessed to determine how well it is expected to identify or detect failure modes. After a new product or process has been in use previously undetected or unidentified failure modes may appear. The FMEA should then be updated and plans made to address those failures to eliminate them from the product/process.<br><br></li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Determine the likelihood of Detection. Detection is an assessment of the likelihood that the Current Controls (design and process) will detect the Cause of the Failure Mode or the Failure Mode itself, thus preventing it from reaching the Customer. Based on the Current Controls, consider the likelihood of Detection using the following table for guidance.<br><br></li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Review Risk Priority Numbers (RPN). The Risk Priority Number is a mathematical product of the numerical Severity, Probability, and Detection ratings:<br> RPN = (Severity) x (Probability) x (Detection)<br>The RPN is used to prioritize items than require additional quality planning or action.<br><br></li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Determine Recommended Action(s) to address potential failures that have a high RPN. These actions could include specific inspection, testing or quality procedures; selection of different components or materials; de-rating; limiting environmental stresses or operating range; redesign of the item to avoid the failure mode; monitoring mechanisms; performing preventative maintenance; and inclusion of back-up systems or redundancy.<br><br></li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Assign Responsibility and a Target Completion Date for these actions. This makes responsibility clear-cut and facilitates tracking.<br><br></li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Indicate Actions Taken. After these actions have been taken, re-assess the severity, probability and detection and review the revised RPN's. Are any further actions required?<br><br></li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black; position: relative; ">Update the FMEA as the design or process changes, the assessment changes or new information becomes known.</li></ol></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; color: black; text-align: left; position: relative; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>