Article: Integrated system for maintenance and safety management through FMECA principles and fuzzy inference engine Journal: European Journal of Industrial Engineering (EJIE) 2011 Vol.5 No.2 pp.132 - 169 Abstract: Failure mode effects and criticality analysis (FMECA) is a widely used technique to improve products and processes safety and reliability in different contexts, such as automotive, aviation, computer science, etc. FMECA approach is based on a qualitative/quantitative analysis of a system (product or process) and its components in order to identify the most critical elements for system operability and safety through the evaluation of failure mode causes and effects. In the present work we propose a modified FMECA methodology in which the criticality evaluation is made considering both production performances and users/workers safety. The approach uses a fuzzy inference engine to define certain key indexes related both to production performance and safety level. It merges the classic FMECA criticality analysis approach with the risk evaluation into a unified procedure. The proposed method is applied to a real case concerning the production of braking systems for high speed trains. [Received 30 October 2009; Revised 22 March 2010; Accepted 22 March 2010] Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Integrated system for maintenance and safety management through FMECA principles and fuzzy inference engine

Authors: Matteo Mario Savino, Alessandro Brun, Carlo Riccio

Addresses: Department of Engineering, University of Sannio, Piazza Roma 21, 82100, Benevento, Italy. ' Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci 32, 20133, Milan, Italy. ' EMM Informatica, Centro Direzionale Is. C7 – Torre Alessandro Int. 11, 80143, Napoli, Italy

Abstract: Failure mode effects and criticality analysis (FMECA) is a widely used technique to improve products and processes safety and reliability in different contexts, such as automotive, aviation, computer science, etc. FMECA approach is based on a qualitative/quantitative analysis of a system (product or process) and its components in order to identify the most critical elements for system operability and safety through the evaluation of failure mode causes and effects. In the present work we propose a modified FMECA methodology in which the criticality evaluation is made considering both production performances and users/workers safety. The approach uses a fuzzy inference engine to define certain key indexes related both to production performance and safety level. It merges the classic FMECA criticality analysis approach with the risk evaluation into a unified procedure. The proposed method is applied to a real case concerning the production of braking systems for high speed trains. [Received 30 October 2009; Revised 22 March 2010; Accepted 22 March 2010]

Keywords: failure mode effects and criticality analysis; FMECA; fuzzy logic; production systems; safety risk evaluation; maintenance management; safety management; fuzzy inference; braking systems; high speed trains.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIE.2011.039870

European Journal of Industrial Engineering, 2011 Vol.5 No.2, pp.132 - 169

Published online: 22 Oct 2014 *

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Title: Integrated system for maintenance and safety management through FMECA principles and fuzzy inference engine

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