One data source for predicting failure rates for final elements used in safety instrumented functions (SIF) is cycle testing. In cycle testing, the mechanical equipment’s moveable components are exercised rapidly through part or all of their range of motion. Any...
The discipline of Reliability Engineering depends upon a key metric, failure rate. In the past, it was practical to perform a “life test” (or an “accelerated life test”) where devices were operated in a defined set of conditions and failure times were recorded. This...
Functional safety standards provide definitions of two different categories of failures: random failures and systematic failures. These were created during the standards committee discussions of failure types to be modeled in the probabilistic failure analysis. It was...
Performance based functional safety standards like IEC 61511 offer many advantages including the opportunity to optimize and upgrade Safety Instrumented System (SIS) designs. But performance calculation depends upon realistic failure data for instruments used. A...
There are many benefits to a company when they have access to good field failure data. Most of the benefits are categorized as saving money. At the same time, most of the expenditure to get good failure data is already being spent. Given an incremental cost of...
