Failure Effects

About Failure Effects

After all the Failure Modes have been defined, one or more Failure Effects can be defined for each Failure Mode. A Failure Effect documents the consequence of a failure occurring. Most FMEA methodologies use Failure Effects to capture the safety, environmental, and economic (or production) impacts associated with a failure.

The SAE Standard JA1012, "Evaluation Criteria for Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) Processes," defines the following requirements for Failure Effects:

  • Failure Effects shall describe what would happen if no specific task is done to anticipate, prevent, or detect the failure.
  • Failure Effects shall include all the information needed to support the evaluation of the consequences of the failure, including the following data:
    • The evidence (if any) that the failure has occurred (in the case of hidden functions, what would happen if a multiple failure occurred).
    • What the failure does (if anything) to kill or injure someone, or to have an adverse effect on the environment.
    • What the failure does (if anything) to have an adverse effect on production or operations.
    • What physical damage (if any) is caused by the failure.
    • What (if anything) must be done to restore the function of the system after the failure.

Access a Failure Effect

Procedure

  1. Access the failure mode for which you want to access a failure effect.
  2. In the left pane, select the failure effect that you want to access.

    The datasheet for the selected failure effect appears in the workspace. The workspace also contains the following tabs:

    • Risk : Contains the risk associated with the selected failure effect.

    • Decision Logic : Contains a series of questions that will provide you a recommended action based on your responses.

Create a Failure Effect

Before you begin

This topic assumes that you have a pre-established FMEA analysis with failure modes.

Procedure

  1. Access the analysis for which you want to create a Failure Effect.
  2. Select the Asset for which you want to add a failure effect.

    In a new tab, the Asset workspace for the selected asset appears.

  3. In the left pane, select , and then select Add Failure Effect.

  4. As needed, enter values in the available fields.
  5. Select .

    The failure effect is saved.

Modify a Failure Effect

Before you begin

This topic assumes that you have a pre-established FMEA analysis with failure modes.

Procedure

  1. Access the failure mode for which you want to modify a failure effect.
  2. In the left pane, select the failure effect that you want to access.

    The datasheet for the selected failure effect appears in the workspace. The workspace also contains the following tabs:

    • Risk : Contains the risk associated with the selected failure effect.

    • Decision Logic : Contains a series of questions that will provide you a recommended action based on your responses.

  3. As needed, modify the values in the available fields.
  4. Select .
    The modifications to the failure effect are saved.

Delete a Failure Effect

Before you begin

This topic assumes that you have a pre-established FMEA analysis with failure modes.

Procedure

  1. Access the FMEA Overview page, and then select the Analyses tab.
    The list of analyses appears.
  2. Select the analysis containing the Asset whose Failure Effect you want to delete.
    In a new tab, the Analysis Details workspace for the selected analysis appears, displaying the Analysis Identification section.
  3. In the left pane, select the asset that contains the Asset whose Failure Effect you want to delete.
    In the left pane, the Failure Modes for the selected asset appears.

  4. In the left pane, select the Failure Mode whose Failure Effect you want to delete.
    The workspace for the selected Failure Mode appears, displaying the Failure Mode section.
  5. In the left pane, select the Failure Effect that you want to delete.
    The workspace for the selected Failure Effect appears.
  6. Select .
    A message appears, asking you to confirm that you want to delete your failure effect.
  7. Select Yes .
    Your Failure Effect is deleted.