The B10 method uses cycle test data to predict failure rates.
A cycle test is done on a set of products (>20) until 10% of the units under test fail. The number of cycles until failure is called the B10 point.
The B10 number of cycles is converted to a…
A cycle test is done on a set of products (>20) until 10% of the units under test fail.
The number of cycles is converted to a time period by knowing the cycles per hour in any particular application.
A failure rate is calculated by dividing the 10% failure…
What is Stiction?
Stiction is the resistance to the start of motion usually measured as the difference between the external force being applied in order to overcome the static friction and the force to maintain movement between the two contacting or working surfaces.
It can…
Failure rates are the number of failures per unit time for a piece of equipment which are usually assumed to be a constant value. They can be broken down into several categories, such as safe and dangerous, detected and undetected, and independent/normal and common cause. Failure rates are often…
Failures In Time or Failure UnIT
FIT is the number of failures per billion hours for a piece of equipment.
It is mentioned in both IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 standards as a preferred unit of measurement expressed by 109 hours.
Example: 5 FIT is expressed as 5 failures within 109 hours .
When you…
The Greek symbol lambda, λ, represents failure rates in functional safety, usually expressed in the unit of measurement of FITS.
λ can be expressed as a total failure rate for a device (λT), or it can be broken down into more specific groupings:
The Greek symbol λD represents dangerous failure rates in functional safety, usually expressed in the unit of measurement of FITs, and can be determined through FMEDAs. (FITs (λ) are failures per billion hours, expressed by 10-9 hours).
λD is the number of dangerous failures per…
The Greek symbol λDD is the detectable dangerous failure rate in functional safety expressed in the unit of measurement of FITs which can be determined through FMEDAs. (FITs (λ) are failures per billion hours, expressed by 10-9 hours).
λDD is the number of…
The Greek symbol λDU is the undetectable dangerous failure rate in functional safety expressed in the unit of measurement of FITs which can be determined through FMEDAs. (FITs (λ) are failures per billion hours, expressed by 10-9 hours).
λDU is the number of dangerous undetected failures…
The Greek symbol λS represents safe or spurious failure rates in functional safety expressed in the unit of measurement of FITs which can be determined through FMEDAs. (FITs (λ) are failures per billion hours, expressed by 10-9 hours).
λS is the number of safe…
The failure rates of certain mechanical components used in solenoid valves, actuators, and valves vary substantially depending on operation. Seals such as O-rings, for example have fundamentally different failure modes when used in applications with frequent movement (dynamic) versus applications with infrequent movement (static).
Static is generally…
exida is often posed questions regarding our failure rates used in Failure Modes, Effects and Diagnostic Analysis (FMEDA) for products used in safety-related systems.
Today I would like to focus on a question that was recently asked: “What if my products are unique or different than products…
We all know that an FMEDA is only as good as the assumptions made regarding typical design engineering practices and the database used for the failure rates. Here is the catch, not all products are designed and manufactured per the same rules! Many manufacturers boast that their…
The FMEDA technique is performed on a specific device (e.g., ball valve, pressure transmitter, temperature sensor, electronic module, etc.) specified down to the manufacturer and series/model. Based on the specifics of the design, the parts used to execute the design, the design margins, any automatic diagnostics, the…
Click here to read the first entry in this blog series (What is SIL compliance?)
Click here to read the second entry in this blog series (How is SIL Used?)
As we now know, a Safety Integrity Level (SIL) can only be given to a…
Click here to read the blog “What is Stiction?”
In normal operation of a solenoid valve, the O-rings in the valve create a smooth transition while the plunger or spool is in motion. Because the O-rings are in direct…
Click here to read the first entry in this blog series
Once the Safety Integrety Level (SIL) of a product is found, it will be used FOUR ways:
I, like many others, was stunned to hear that there was a major power outage covering the Outer Banks. Being an engineer, my instincts were to immediately investigate what happened and what steps occurred to lead to that point. Even before I did research, my mind was already asking…
When I went to set my goals for 2019, I set both personal and professional goals. One of my professional goals is to clean off my desk, but another is to get more people to think about functional safety before an accident occurs, instead of when they are normally…
exida has launched the web site www.silsafedata.com. SILSafe Data is a web site listing a number of product categories used in process control and the expected range of failure rates for process industry applications. The use of realistic and application appropriate failure rate data has a significant…