DESIGN FAILURE MODES

AND EFFECTS ANALYSIS

(DFMEA)

PRESENTED BY

Denis J. Devos BA, BESc, MEng, PEng

Devos Associates Inc.

University of Western Ontario

October 17 2012

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Advisors to the Automotive Industry
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Setting the Stage
• Design FMEA
Effects and Severity
Causes and Probability
Controls and Effectiveness
• Automotive S,O,D guidelines
• Special Characteristics

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Introduction
• In today’s competitive environment, quality goods
and services is not enough
• We must anticipate failure and nonconformance,
and prevent these events before they occur.

Studies of vehicle warrantee

campaigns have shown that
more disciplined use of the
DFMEA would have prevented
many of these campaigns

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Lets Recap
Potential Failure Mode
Potential Effects of the Failure Severity

Potential Causes/Mechanisms
of the Failure Occurrence

Current Design Controls

Prevention, Detection Detection

Where S, O, D, numbers are unknown,

estimate high".
(also called “fear of the unknown!”)

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Start the FMEA early
• As soon as concepts are developed
• Start from an existing DFMEA, and focus on
differences
• Continually update as the design evolves
• Completed before drawings are released

DFMEA becomes an
input to Process FMEA

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 Define the
Subsystem

Reliability
Tools/Analysis

Design
Testing

RISK
Assessment

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What is an FMEA?
• A tool to focus discussion within a team
• A graphical approach to collecting data
• A logical flow:

Failure Effect Cause Control

• A repository for corporate learning about a

process throughout the life cycle

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The FMEA Team
The lead design engineer is responsible to
assemble a team from all disciplines (often a Core
Team and Support Team):

• Design engineers • QA
• Process engineers • Sales
• Testing engineers • Field Service
• Purchasing • Maintenance
• Suppliers • Customers

The DFMEA is a catalyst to promote discussion

and exchange of ideas among all stakeholders

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Customer of the FMEA
Design FMEA
• Design engineers, other system design teams
• Manufacturing Process Engineers

Process FMEA
• End User
• Downstream manufacturing operations
• Service and maintenance operations
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Consider a Refrigerator as a System
System – Refrigerator
Subsystem
• Compressor Subsystem
• Insulation
• Door Subsystem
• Ice-Maker Subsystem
Components (ice maker)
• Plastic bucket in the door
• Plastic tube
• Plastic push handle

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Column 1 – Process Function,
Requirements
• Part Number, name and description of the
process step
• Include the function of the item which
meets the design intent. Include
information relating to the environment
where the item operates

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Column 1 – Process Function, Reqt’s
• Describe in terms that can be measured
• Answer the question “what is this item
supposed to do?”
• Functions:
• Measureable, can be verified/validated
• Includes additional constraints or design
parameters such as reliability specs,
servicing specs, weight, size, location

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Process Function Requirements
• Functions:
• Describe functional intent or engineering
requirement
• Representation of all wants, needs,
requirements, spoken and unspoken, for
all customers and systems.

Remember: Functions cannot

FAIL if they do not have
measurable specifications

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Process Function Requirements
• Describe in terms that can be measured
• Answer the question “what is this item
supposed to do?”
• Written as Verb-Noun-Measureable

“Store fluid, six litres, with zero leaks”

“Conduct current, 10 amps”
“Open door with 100 Newtons of effort”

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Process Function Requirements
• (Gasket) Seal the door flush with zero leaks
• (Door Stop) Stop the door at 120° open
• (Levelling Feet) Level the Refrigerator to a
front-to-back differential of 2 inches and a
side-to-side differential of 1 inch.
• (compressor) Cool the compartment to 1° C
fully packed with 1.5 Litre water bottles in an
ambient of 45° C, 80% RH continuously for 10
years.

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Column 2 – Potential Failure Mode

• How could this component, subsystem fail

to meet the design intent?
• Describe the potential nonconformances
only for that function.
• A mode here can be the cause of a
downstream process error, or the result of
an upstream process error
• Potential failure modes can occur only
under certain operating conditions, and/or
certain customer situations
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Column 2 – Potential Failure Mode
• How can the process fail to meet the intent
of the “Functions” column?
• Typical Examples
• No Function
• Partial/Over Function/Degraded over time
• Intermittent Function
• Unintended Function

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Example
Jack for changing a flat tire:
Raise vehicle to X feet above the ground, within Y
minutes, using Z maximum force, under all weather
conditions

No Function Does not raise the vehicle

Partial/Over/Degraded Does not raise to X, takes longer
than Y, uses more than Z force,
Intermittent function Inoperable in the rain
Unintended function None Known

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Example
Windshield Wipers:
Return to the rest position and remain after being
switched off, within ± 5mm from the rest position
measured from the mid-point of the blade

No Function Switch doesn’t turn off the wiper

Partial/Over/Degraded
Intermittent function
Unintended function
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Wipers don’t remain in rest position
Wipers rest off-location
Wipers drift their position over time
Wipers out of position below 0°C
Wipers turn off when actuating turn signal
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Example
Refrigerator Light:
Light turns off when the door is closed, for 10 years

No Function Door doesn’t engage the switch

Partial/Over/Degraded
Intermittent function
Unintended function
Switch does not turn off the light
Switch wears out before 10 years
Door partially engages the switch
Switch intermittently turns off the light
Bulb overheats, melts the plastic cover

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Column 3– Potential Effects of Failure
• Describe the failure as perceived by the customer
• State if the failure impacts on safety or product
regulations
• Express the effects in terms of the specific
component or sub-system being analyzed

A part can fracture, causing the

assembly to vibrate, resulting in
intermittent operation. This could
cause degradation over time and
premature failure.

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Potential Effects of Failure
Ask: “If this failure mode happens, what will be the
effect onF.”

• Operation, function, of the items sub-components?

• Operation, function, of the assembly
• Operation, function, of the sub-system or system
• Operation, safety, drive-ability of the vehicle
• What will the customer see and experience?
• Compliance with government regulations?

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Potential Effects of the Failure

• Effect on the (internal or external) customer.

• Assess if the failure could result in
noncompliance with safety, other regulations
• Remember relationships – a failure mode
could negatively impact subsequent
operations

Describe these modes

in terms of what the
customer perceives.

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Sentencing Technique

leads to could
result in
FAILURE
CAUSE EFFECT
MODE
due to

Remember: Relate cause back to

failure mode, not back to effect

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Example – Cold Air Leaking from the Door
Q: What could “cold air leaking from the door” result in?
A: Increased energy consumption (effect)

Q: What could “cold air leaking from the door” be due to?
A: A kink or twist in the door seal

“Cold air leaking from the door” can result in “increased

energy consumption” (effect)

“Cold air leaking from the door” can be due to “a kink or

twist in the door seal” (cause)

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Column 4 – Severity of the Failure
• How serious is the effect of the failure.
• Use a 1 to 10 scale
• Use the voice of the customer to get as
accurate an assessment as possible
• Design teams should customize its definitions
of severity to best suit their needs, as long as
consistency is achieved
• Severity can only be reduced through design
changes. (process redesign is rare)

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Column 5 - Classification
• Used to identify Special Characteristics which
may require additional design controls and
validation testing, (and manufacturing controls)

• When Severity is 9 or 10, a potential Critical

Characteristic exists. Enter “pCC” here

• Used to communicate Team assessment to the

Product Designers for additional consideration
and inclusion in design documentation

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Column 6 -Potential Causes of Failure
• What could cause the failure mode?
• What circumstances could cause the failure?
• How could the item fail to meet specifications?
• How could the item not deliver its function?
• How could item interactions be incompatible,
mismatched or unsynchronized?

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Design Deficiency 1: The product is
manufactured properly, but poor design
• Material specification unsuitable for application
• Material hardness specified too low
• Specified lubricant too thick
• Actual stresses higher than design loads
• Specified torque is too low, too high
• Inadequate design life assumption
• Excessive heat, vibration, noise

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Design Deficiency 2: The product design
leads to poor manufacturing
• Is orientation, alignment important to function?
• Can components be assembled upside-down
or backwards?
• Are engineering tolerances compatible with
manufacturing capabilities?

Design-for-Assembly
Design-for-Manufacturability

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Design Deficiency 2: The product design
leads to poor manufacturing
Examples:
• Specifying heat-treatment such that some lots
of steel cannot be properly machined
• Symmetrical Design that allows a part to be
installed backwards or upside down
• Wrong fastener used because the design is
too similar to a more standard fastener

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Column 7 – Probability of Occurrence
• What is the service history, field experience with
similar components, subsystems, systems?
• Is the component a carry-over or similar to a past
design?
• Is the part very new or different from the past?
• Has the application of the part changed?
• Are there environmental, customer use changes?
• Have reliability studies been used to estimate the
expected failure rates for the application?
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Overlaying Probabilities
Often, a failure event does not necessarily cause
the failure mode.
Example: leaving the refrigerator door open may
lead to the overheating of the compressor, if it’s a
hot summer day (more than 30°C)
Two Probabilities: Leave the door open – 1%
It happens to be a hot summer day – 10%
What is the probability of the “failure mode”?
It is usually simpler to assume 1-to-1 correlation

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Column 7 – Probability of Occurrence
• Use a consistent ranking chart
• The group decides the number, or rounds up
to the next higher number.
• Be careful assigning numbers 1,2,3. The
difference between 1 and 3 is a factor of 50.

• When Severity is between 5-8, and

Occurrence is between 4-8, a potential
Significant Characteristic exists. Use “pSC”

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Column 8-9 - Current Design Controls
Prevention Design Controls
• Product Design features that prevent the
Cause/Mechanism or Failure Mode from
occurring or reduce the rate of Occurrence

Detection Design Controls

• Product Testing and analysis to qualify a
product before it is released to production

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Column 8 – Prevention Design Controls
Controls to prevent the failure, or lessen the
probability of occurrence

• Asymmetry in part design features

• Special grades of raw materials, etc.
• Redundancy
• Vibration dampening materials
• Lubrication, feedback control systems
• One-part designs, combined functions
• Design Standards/Guides, Best Practices
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Column 9 – Detection Design Controls
Controls to detect the failure during testing (DV
controls), or mitigate the failure if it occurs in use

• Design Reviews
• Reliability Analysis
• Simulation
• Lab Testing, Accelerated Life Testing
• Field Testing
• Failsafe designs – pressure relief valves
• Feedback, faults, alarms
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Watch Out!

If a potential cause is overlooked, a

product with a design deficiency may
go into production!

Look at all Failure Modes as a way of

detecting overlooked causes

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Column 10 – Effectiveness of Detection
Consider the effectiveness of analyses and tests:
• Design Analysis methods
• Simulation, FEA
• Tolerance stack-up studies
• Material Studies
• Team design reviews
• Design Development Tests
• Experiments, Lab Testing
• Prototype Testing
• Durability, life cycle tests
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(continued)
• Experience with similar designs
• Number of samples to be tested
• Statistically significant samples sizes
• One prototype, because of cost and complexity
• Timeliness of testing & evaluation
• Early in the concept stage
• At prototype stage
• Just prior to engineering
design freeze

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Lets Recap
Potential Failure Mode
Potential Effects of the Failure Severity

Potential Causes/Mechanisms
of the Failure Occurrence

Current Design Controls

Prevention, Detection Detection

Where S, O, D, numbers are unknown,

estimate high".
(also called “fear of the unknown!”)

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Advisors to the Automotive Industry
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Column 13 – Responsibility & Timing
• It is important that recommended actions
always be expressed as specific tasks, and
assigned to individuals with a specific time line.

• The Design Team Leader or Product Engineer

must ensure that all actions have been
implemented and properly addressed.

• Reconvene the team, and recalculate the new

RPN resultant from the process improvements.

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FMEA Follow-Up
• Team leader should ensure that all Recommended
Actions are properly assigned, executed, and
closed-out.
• After completion, FMEA should be compared to
objectives for process, product, and organization.
• Results can be incorporated with APQP team sign
off, or Management Review.

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 Appendix:
Special Characteristics

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Introduction
• All products and processes have characteristics
that need to be controlled.

• Some Special Characteristics require extra

attention and control to prevent nonconformance

• Special Characteristics have high impact upon:

• Product & Process Safety
• Compliance with Regulations
• Customer Satisfaction

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Special Characteristics - Symbols
• Characteristics are Special or not
• Special Characteristics can be considered in two
categories:
• Safety or Regulatory – Critical Characteristics (CC)
• Critical to Function and
Customer Satisfaction – Significant Characteristics (SC)

• Special Characteristics are assigned symbols and

deployed down through drawings and other documents

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EXAMPLE
Effect Classifi Indicates DFMEA Actions
-cation Criteria Required
Safety/ CC Critical Sev: 9 - 10 Special
Regulatory Characteristic Controls
Customer SC Significant Sev: 5 – 8 Special
Satisfaction Characteristic Occur: 4-10 Controls
Mfg./ CC Impact on Sev: 5 – 8 Process
Assembly Design CC Occur: 4-10 Controls
Mfg. / SC Impact on Sev: 9 - 10 Process
Assembly Design SC Controls
Mfg. / (blank) Not a Special Routine
Assembly Characteristic control

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Critical Characteristics - CC
Critical Characteristics - CC
• Impact upon safe use and function
• Impact compliance with governmental regulations

Design Controls Process Controls

• Special Materials • Special Tooling
• Safety Factors • Materials Inspections
• Fail-safes • Product Testing
• Special Analysis • Product Inspections
• Special Testing • Special Torques
• Assembly Sequences
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Significant Characteristics - SC
Significant Characteristics - SC
• Critical to customer satisfaction
• Characteristics sensitive to manufacturing variation
• Special manufacturing controls required to
assure compliance

Design and Process Controls

as for Critical Characteristics

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Significant Characteristics –
Two Approaches

• Significant to Customer Satisfaction

• Significant Sensitivity to Variation

σ Design For Six Sigma

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“Not Significant” Characteristics
Features are robust to Customer Dissatisfaction remains
manufacturing variation about constant over the design
tolerances

Tolerance Target Tolerance

Value

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Taguchi Loss Function

There is an increasing “loss to society” as

deviation from a target value increases

Loss increases to
the right and left
of the target

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 Loss Function – Consider a Train
Schedule Increasing “Loss
to Society”
X

Train Leaves earlier: Published Train Leaves later: no

people arrive on-time Train one misses the train,
and miss the train Departure but train arrives late
Time and misses connections

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 Significant Characteristics
Features are sensitive to Customer Dissatisfaction increases
manufacturing variation sharply as features depart from the
designed target values

Tolerance Target Tolerance

Value

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Special Controls

• Every effort must be made to eliminate Special

Characteristics through design actions to improve
product robustness.

• Special Characteristics are confirmed after all

design/process alternatives are exhausted and
when Special Controls have been identified

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