School of Engineering, Design & Technology

BEQIC
Bradford Engineering Quality Improvement Centre

Systems Engineering Design

Through Failure Mode Avoidance:
An Automotive Industry
Perspective

Felician Campean & Ed Henshall

University of Bradford Engineering Quality Improvement Centre
 Bradford Engineering Quality Improvement Centre
BEQIC Agenda

• The Failure Mode Avoidance Challenge

• The FMA Process Framework
• Systems engineering based on FMA
• Discussion and Conclusions
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 The Failure Mode Avoidance
Bradford Engineering Quality Improvement Centre
Challenge
BEQIC
• Technical challenges:
• Escalation in systems complexity
• Multi-disciplinary nature of systems, with
prevalence of control & software features
• …yet conventional Failure Avoidance tools are
strongly focused on electro-mechanical systems!
• Organisational / Business challenge:
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• Increase effectiveness of Product Development

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 The FMA Paradigm Shift
Product Development
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Key facts:
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Factory • On average 5
Failure modes as by- engineering changes
product of the PD per part
“factory” must be • Average cost of an
eliminated as “waste” engineering change
estimated at $50k
Number of engineering changes

FMA Paradigm Shift

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Ideal State – Current State

right first time design
Define Design Design Launch Volume
Verification Production
Product Creation Process

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 Bradford Engineering Quality Improvement Centre
The FMA Paradigm Shift
In a traditional PD Failure Mode Avoidance
BEQIC
paradigm Failure Mode tools and process aim to
discovery revolves around support early
FMA Principles: hardware verification identification of failure
• Failure Modes should testing modes and development
be identified in the of robust
phase they are countermeasures
Which explains the
created; Which explains the
peak of engineering
• Failure Modes should peak of engineering
changes just after
only be discovered and changes after DV… Through structured virtual
DV…
fixed once. / thought experiments and
the management of the
PD information flow based
on FMA.
School of Engineering, Design & Technology

“Thinking is the hardest work there is,

which is probably why so few people
engage in it”
“Inventing is the mixing of brains and
materials. The more brains you use, the
less materials you need”
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 Bradford Engineering Quality Improvement Centre
Implementing FMA – the Challenges
• Technical challenges:
BEQIC
• Failure modes are hard to find early - particularly with
complex multi-disciplinary systems;
• Cultural barriers:
• Individual: engineers tend to focus on solutions rather
than functions, concentrate on main functions rather
than system integration requirements, and use
discipline-focused rather than multi-disciplinary
approaches;
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• Organisational: lack of systems engineering focus,

illustrated by the prevalence of structural and
discipline based decomposition rather than functional.

The BEQIC FMA Process / Framework

aims to address some of these issues
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 Bradford Engineering Quality Improvement Centre
BEQIC FMA Process Framework
Conventional Failure Avoidance process
BEQIC
starts here…
FMA Process Steps
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FMA Support Tools

• SSFD supports function decomposition in

Function analysis is the
most important process
step in FMA!
a structured solution – independent way
• Interface Analysis supports identification
of all functional requirements – including
interface functions
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 Bradford Engineering Quality Improvement Centre
FMA Process: Function Analysis
Example: Development of an Electric Vehicle Powertrain
BEQIC

System State Flow Diagram

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 Bradford Engineering Quality Improvement Centre
FMA Process: Function Analysis
Example: Development of an Electric Vehicle Powertrain
BEQIC

System State Flow Diagram Boundary Diagram

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 Bradford Engineering Quality Improvement Centre
FMA Process: Function Analysis
Example: Development of an Electric Vehicle Powertrain
BEQIC
Interface Matrix Identify exchanges at
Internal External
Interface Matrix
A B C D E F G H E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 interfaces

Accel Pedal mechanism

Heater - De-mister
Battery Pack Assy

Motor Controller

DC-DC Converter
Driver Interface

Environment
240V PiP
Charger

Define functions required

Motor
PSDM

Driver

Cab
Internal

1 Charger
I
E
I
E
I
P
I
E E
M to manage interfaces
E E E E P E P E
2 PSDM
I I I M

3
Battery Pack
Assy I
E E E P E P Interface Table
I I M
P E P P E E
4 Driver Interface
I I I I I I I M
Motor E E E P E
5
Controller I M
E P E
6 Motor
I M
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DC-DC E P E
7
Converters I
Heater - De- E P E P E P E
8
mister I M

FMEA
Number

Potential failure Potential effects Potential causes /

Occ
Item / Function Sev Current design controls
mode of failure mechanisms of failure
1-B Battery temp sensor DVP; Ref.
Charge Battery Battery overcharged Damage to system 7 Battery SoC not detected / sensed 3
2-A Battery temp sensor DFMEA

Battery SoC not transmitted to Harness SDS & DVP; Ref

3
Charger Harness DFMEA

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 Systems Engineering Based on FMA
• Horizontal integration: FMA Process is
Bradford Engineering Quality Improvement Centre
BEQIC
applied at all systems engineering levels;
• Vertical integration: the systems
engineering cascade is based on:
- Functional requirements;
- Critical parameters (high priority function
failure modes)
- Design Verification Plan
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 Bradford Engineering Quality Improvement Centre
BEQIC Key Points
• FMA offers a strong framework for
conducting Systems Engineering;
• Experience with implementing the process
overwhelmingly positive
• Structured approach to analysis – as opposed to
brainstorming…
• Portable across the multiple engineering
domains;
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• Coherent information flow between tools;

• The Interface Analysis is resource intensive, but
can be managed effectively through setting up
priorities.

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 Final point: Overcoming
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Organisational Challenges…
BEQIC
• Achieving the FMA paradigm requires
concerted action on:
• Engineering design process;
• PD process & project management;
• Cultural aspects of the PD organisation.
School of Engineering, Design & Technology

Nobody ever gets

credit for fixing
problems that
never happen…

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