04-01-2021

ICGC MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS

DFMEA
Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis

FMEA History
This “type” of thinking has been around for
hundreds of years. It was first formalized in
the aerospace industry during the Apollo
program in the 1960’s.
 Initial automotive adoption in the 1970’s.
 Potential serious & frequent safety issues.

 Required by TS16949 , QS-9000 & Advanced Product Quality Planning Process

in 1994.
 For all automotive suppliers.

 Now adopted by many other industries.

 Potential serious & frequent safety issues.

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Why does it always

seem we have plenty of
time to fix our
problems, but never
enough time to prevent
the problems by doing
it right the first time?

MURPHY’S LAW

“If anything can go wrong it will

& If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the
most damage will be the one to go wrong”

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Failure Mode and Effect Analysis FMEA

Common Definitions

Failure:

A „Failure‟ is that a component, assembly or system which

does not meet the requirements or function in accordance
with design intent.
(Ex. Not meeting the specification, heat treatment failure)

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Failure Mode and Effect Analysis FMEA

Failure Mode:

A „Failure Mode‟ is the manner in which a component,

assembly or system failure occurs. (Ex. How the component
could not meet the specifications, hardness high, hardness
low)

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Failure Mode and Effect Analysis FMEA

What is FMEA?

FMEA is a methodology used to ensure that potential

problems have been considered and addressed
throughout the product and process development.

FMEA is a systemised group of activities to:

1. recognise and evaluate the potential failure of a product /
process and its effects
2. identify actions which could eliminate or reduce the
chance of potential failure occurring
3. document the process

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Failure Mode and Effect Analysis FMEA

Why FMEA ?

1. For a company where continuous improvement is

emphasized for its product, process

2. FMEA is a living document

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Failure Mode and Effect Analysis FMEA

Who should do FMEA?

1. Cross Functional Team Effort – with a leader

2. Team of knowledgeable individuals Ex. Expertise in Design,

Mfg., Assembly, Quality, etc.

3.Team should include representatives of sub-contractors

and/or customers as per need.

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Failure Mode and Effect Analysis FMEA

When FMEA should be done ?
1. New Designs, new technology or new Process
2. Modifications to existing design or Process
3. Use of existing design or process in a new environment,
location, application
Ideally, Design FMEA should be initiated in the early stages
of design and the Process FMEA before tooling and
manufacturing equipment is developed and purchased.
Advantages of FMEA
1. Avoids late change crisis
2. Reduces or eliminates chance of implementing
corrective change
3. excellent technique for preventive action
4. interactive process which is never ending
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Types of FMEAs

System/Concept “S/CFMEA”- (Driven by System functions) A

system is a organized set of parts or subsystems to accomplish
one or more functions. System FMEAs are typically very early,
before specific hardware has been determined.
Design “DFMEA”- (Driven by part or component functions)
A Design / Part is a unit of physical hardware that is
considered a single replaceable part with respect to repair.
Design FMEAs are typically done later in the development
process when specific hardware has been determined.
Process “PFMEA”- (Driven by process functions & part
characteristics) A Process is a sequence of tasks that is
organized to produce a product or provide a service. A
Process FMEA can involve fabrication, assembly,
transactions or services.
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Failure Mode and Effect Analysis FMEA

Types of FMEA

 System FMEA – Power transmission system

 Design FMEA – Axle shaft

 Process FMEA – Heat treatment

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DESIGN FMEA

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DFMEA supports the design process in reducing the risk

of failure by:

 Aiding in the objective evaluation of design

 Evaluating the initial design for manufacturing, assembly,
service and recycling requirements
 Increasing the probability that potential failure modes and
their effects on system and vehicle operation have been
considered in the design
 Providing a ranked list of potential failure modes
according to their effect on customer
 Recommending and tracking risk reducing actions

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DFMEA is a living document and should

 Be initiated before design concept finalisation

 Be updated as changes occur or additional information is
obtained throughout the faces of product development
 Be completed before the production design is released
 Be a source for lessons learned for future design
iterations

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Define the Customer:

Four major customers to be considered in the FMEA process
 END USER: the person or organisation that will utilize the
product
 OEM ASSEMBLY and MANUFACTURING CENTERS
(PLANTS): the OEM locations where manufacturing
operations (eg, stamping and powertrain) and vehicle
assembly take place.
 Organizations' MANUFACTURING: the location where
manufacturing, fabricating or assembling of production
materials of parts takes place
 REGULATORS: government agencies that define
requirements and monitor compliance to safety and
environmental specifications which can impact the product

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Define the Scope:

Scope establishes the boundary of the FMEA analysis.
It defines what is included and excluded, determined based
on the type of FMEA being developed, i e., system,
subsystem, or component

System FMEA
A system FMEA is made up of various subsystems Examples
of systems include: Chassis System, Powertrain System,
Interior System, etc The focus of the System FMEA is to
address all interfaces and interactions among systems,
subsystems, the environment and the customer.

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Define the Scope:

Scope establishes the boundary of the FMEA analysis.
It defines what is included and excluded, determined based
on the type of FMEA being developed, i e., system,
subsystem, or component

System FMEA
A system FMEA is made up of various subsystems Examples
of systems include: Chassis System, Powertrain System,
Interior System, etc The focus of the System FMEA is to
address all interfaces and interactions among systems,
subsystems, the environment and the customer.

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Subsystem FMEA
A Subsystem FMEA is a subset of a system FMEA. An
example of a subsystem is the front suspension subsystem,
which is a subset of the chassis system The focus of the
Subsystem FMEA is to address all interfaces and interactions
among the subsystem components and interactions with
other subsystems or systems

Component FMEA
A Component FMEA is a subset of a subsystem FMEA
example, a brake pad is a component of the brake assembly,
which is a subsystem of the chassis system

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Development of DFMEA

Prerequisites:

A DFMEA should begin with the development of information

to understand the system, subsystem, or component being
analyzed and define their functional requirements and
characteristics
In order to determine the scope of the DFMEA, the team
should consider the following as applicable to component,
subsystem or system DFMEAs;
 What processes, mating components, or systems does the
product interface with?
 Are there functions or features of the product that affect
other components or systems?
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 Are there inputs provided by other components or systems

that are needed to perform intended functions of the
product?

 Do the product‟s functions include the prevention or

detection of a possible failure mode in a linked component
or system?

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Tools used to develop DFMEA

Block(Boundary) diagram:
The block diagram of the product shows the physical and
logical relationships between the components of the product.
The block diagram indicates the interaction of components
and subsystems within the scope of the design.

This interaction may include:

flow of information, energy, force, or fluid.
The objective is to understand the requirements or inputs to
the system, the activities acting on the inputs or the function
performed and the deliverables or output.

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Block diagram

The diagram may be in the form of boxes connected by lines,

with each box corresponding to a major component of the
product or a major step of the process.

The lines correspond to how the product components are

related to, or interface with each other

Copies of the diagrams used in DFMEA preparation should

accompany the DFMEA

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PARAMETER (P) DIAGRAM

The P-Diagram is a structured tool to help the team understand

the physics related to the function(s) of the design.
The team analyzes the intended inputs (signals) and outputs
(responses or functions) for the design as well as those
controlled and uncontrolled factors which can impact
performance.

The inputs to the product and outputs from the product, are
useful in identifying error states, noise factors, and control
factors.

The error states correspond to the Potential Failure Modes in the

DFMEA
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P-Diagram

Noise Factors

1. Piece to piece variation 2. Other systems 3. Customer usage/duty cycle

Heat shields Foot peg location After market changes
Pipe maufacturing variation Engine mount -mufflers, foot pegs, decorative covers
Frame variation Change calibrations, runs hotter, componet discoloring, over drive
system, excesive lean angle
Supension changes, lowers bike
Improper storage practices

4. Deterioration/degredagtion over time 4. Environment

Gasket wear Ocean sea side (salt)
Motor mount wear Sand, dust
Corrosion Gravel
Loss of torque on fasteners Parade duty (low speed)

Input Ideal function

Exhaust gases from engine Exhaust Pipes, Front & Rear
Engine vibration
Road vibration Meet Styling Requirements
Transfer of exhaust gas
Adequate clearance to other components
Control factors Meet Durability Requirements

Regulatory Error states

Lean Angle (SAE)
Difficult to service
Durability Requirements (GES) Does not meet styling review
Difficult to assemble
High warranty
Poor lean angle

Functional Requirements
Another step in DFMEA process is compilation of functional
and interface requirements of the design
This may include following categories:
Another step in DFMEA process is compilation of functional
and interface requirements of the design
This may include following categories:

 General: Consider the purpose of the product and its

overall design intent
 Safety
 Govt Regulations
 Reliability
 Loading & duty cycles-customer product usage profile
 Noise, vibrations
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Functional Requirements

 Fluid retention
 Ergonomics
 Appearance
 Packaging and shipping
 Service
 Design for Manufacturing
 Design for Assembly

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DFMEA FORM

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Function & Requirements

Function:
Enter the function(s) of the item or interface(s) being
analyzed which are necessary to meet the design intent
based on customer requirements and the team's discussion

Requirements:
Enter the requirement(s) for each of the functions being
analyzed (based on customer requirements and the team's
discussion)
If the function has more than one requirement with different
potential modes of failure, it is highly recommended that
each of the requirements and functions are listed separately

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Potential Failure Mode

Potential failure mode is defined as the manner in which a

component, subsystem, or system could potentially fail to
meet or deliver the intended function described in the item
column

Potential failure modes should be described in technical

terms, and not necessarily as a symptom noticeable by
the customer

Each function may have multiple failure modes

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Examples of Potential failure mode

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Potential Effect(s) of Failure

Potential effects of failure are defined as the effects of the

failure mode on the function, as perceived by the customer(s).

Describe the effects of the failure in terms of what the

customer might notice or experience, remembering that the
customer may be an internal customer as well as the ultimate
End User

Describe the effects using the terminology specified in

Severity rating table

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Example Potential Effects

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Severity

Severity is the value associated with the most serious

effect for a given failure mode

Assess the seriousness of the effect in a 1-10 scale as per

ranking guideline table.

Safety related effects should be rated in Nos.9 or 10

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Suggested DFMEA Severity Evaluation Criteria

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Classification

This column may be used to highlight high priority

failure modes and their associated causes

As a result of this analysis, the team may use this

information to identity special characteristics

Customer specific requirements may identify special

product or process characteristic symbols and their
usage

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Potential Cause(s) / Mechanism (s) of Failure

Potential cause of failure is defined as an indication of how

the design process could allows the failure to occur,
described in terms of something that can be corrected or can
be controlled.

Potential cause of failure may be an indication of a design

weakness, the consequence of which is the failure mode

Ambiguous phases such as, poor design or improper

design, should not be used

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Potential Cause(s) / Mechanism (s) of Failure

In the development of the FMEA, the identification of all

potential causes of the failure mode is key to subsequent
analysis .
Various techniques (such as brainstorming/5Why) can be
used to determine the potential cause(s) of the failure mode.
There may be several causes each of which can result in the
failure mode.
In preparing the DFMEA, assume that the design will be
manufactured and assembled to the design intent.
Exceptions can be made at the teams discretion where
historical data indicate deficiencies in the manufacturing
process.
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Example Potential Causes

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Occurrence
Occurrence is the likelihood that a specific cause will occur
resulting in the failure mode within the design life
Estimate the probability of occurrence on a 1-10 scale using
occurrence rating guide line

Rate against each causes.

Consider preventive controls in place while rating

For a new design, if there is no previous experience, use

team judgment

The team should agree on evaluation criteria and a

ranking system and apply them consistently
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Suggested DFMEA Occurrence Evaluation Criteria

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Current Design Controls

Those activities conducted as part of the design process that

have been completed or committed to and that will assure the
design adequacy for the design functional and reliability
requirements under consideration.
There are two types of design controls;
Prevention:
Eliminate (prevent) the cause of the mechanism of failure or
the failure mode from occurring, or reduce its rate of
occurrence
Detection:
Identify (detect) the existence of a cause, the resulting
mechanism of failure or the failure mode, either by analytical
or physical methods, before the item is released for
production
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Current Process Controls

Prevention Controls :
 Benchmarking studies
 Fail-safe designs
 Design and Material standards (internal and external)
 Documentation - records of best practices, lessons Learned, etc
from similar designs
 Simulation studies - analysis of concepts to establish design
requirements
 Error-proofing

Detection controls:
 Design reviews
 Prototype testing
 Validation testing
 Validation of design
 Design of Experiments; including reliability testing
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Examples of Prevention and Detection Design Controls

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Detection
Detection is the rank associated with the best detection control
listed in the Current Design Control Detection column.

When more than one control is identified, it is recommended

that the detection ranking of each control be included as part
of the description of the control. Record the lowest ranking
value in the Detection column

While giving ranking, assume the failure is occurred.

Don‟t assume ranking is low because the occurrence is low.

Estimate the detection ranking on a 1-10 scale using detection

rating guide line.
The ranking value of one (1) is reserved for failure prevention :
through
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proven design solutions

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Risk Priority Number (RPN)

Risk Priority Number (RPN): Is the product of Severity,
Occurrence, & Detection. Risk= RPN= S x O x D
Determining Action Priorities :
The use of an RPN threshold is NOT a recommended
practice for determining the need for action

The initial focus of the team should be oriented towards

failure modes with the highest severity rankings.
When the severity is 9 or 10, the team must ensure that the
risk is addressed though existing design controls or
recommended actions.
For failure modes with severities 8 or below the team
should consider causes having highest occurrence or
detection rankings 49

Recommended Action

In general, prevention actions (i e, reducing the occurrence)

are preferable to detection actions .An example of this is the
use of proven design standard or best practice rather than
product verification/ validation after design freeze

The intent of recommended actions is to improve the design

identifying these actions should consider reducing rankings in
the following order: severity, occurrence, and detection

Only a design revision can bring about a reduction in the

severity ranking

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Recommended Action

To Reduce Occurrence Ranking: A reduction in the

occurrence ranking can be effected by removing or controlling
one or more of the causes of the failure mode through a
design revision .
Eg: Revised design geometry and tolerances

To Reduce Detection) Ranking: The preferred method is the

use of error/mistake proofing. An increase in design
validation/ verification actions should result in a reduction of
the detection ranking

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Responsibility & Target Completion:

Date

Specify the responsibility and target completion date for every

actions identified

The design-responsible engineer/team leader is responsible

for ensuing that all actions recommended have been
implemented or adequately addressed

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Action Results
After the action has been implemented, enter a brief
description of the action taken and actual completion date.
After the assessment of the actions taken, re-assess the
values of severity, occurrence, detection and RPN.
All revised rankings should be reviewed. Actions alone do
not guarantee that the problem was solved (ie, cause
addressed), thus an appropriate analysis or test should be
completed as verification
The revised ratings are to be reviewed and if further action is
considered necessary repeat the analysis.

The focus should be on continual improvement

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Examples of Causes, Controls and Recommended Actions

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Maintaining DFMEAs

The DFMEA is a living document and should be

reviewed whenever there is a product design change
and updated as required

Additionally, in cases where field issues have

occurred, the rankings should be revised accordingly

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Thank You

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