Know Your Safety Application Notes (Part 2): Failure Mode Distribution (Download)
Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is a safety analysis tool or method used to evaluate a system or process to define the ways in which it may fail. It also evaluates the effects of such failure modes in the performance of these items and on the surrounding environment. It’s usually iteratively performed to support decisions that reduce the likelihood of failures and their effects, which helps improve the robustness and reliability of systems and processes.1
Figure 1 shows what makes up a typical FMEA and some of its well-known variations: FMECA and FMEDA. An FMEA is usually based on information about the system or process, the function to be analyzed, the components making up such a system, the failure modes of each component, its local and global effects, etc.