Patil et al.

, Journal of Engineering Research and Studies E-ISSN0976-7916

Research Article
AN OVERVIEW OF FAULT TREE ANALYSIS (FTA) METHOD
FOR RELIABILITY ANALYSIS
L. Y. Waghmode1, Rajkumar B. Patil2

Address for Correspondence

1,2
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Annasaheb Dange College of Engineering and Technology, Ashta,
Shivaji University, Kolhapur, Maharashtra (India).
ABSTRACT
Reliability analysis plays crucial role in the design process. In order to increase reliability of a system, analysis of failure
data is essential. Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) is a method that directly focuses on the modes of failures. FTA is a graphical
representation of the major faults or critical failures associated with a product and the causes for the faults and potential
countermeasures. This paper presents the FTA of Lathe Machine. Qualitative and quantitative analysis helps to identify
critical design parameters, maintenance suggestions. It also includes how reliability analysis fruitful for Life cycle cost
management.
KEYWORDS Fault Tree Analysis, FRACAS, Life Cycle Cost, MTBF, MTTF, Reliability Analysis.
I. INTRODUCTION • Good organized data collection program
Reliability based design focuses on three terms as (failure recording & corrective action system)
reliability, availability and maintainability. that accounts for uncertainty.
Reliability is defined to be the probability that the • Formalized reliability programs that are used
component or system will perform its intended throughout the lifecycle.
functions for a specified period of time when used • Use of predictive modeling and simulation.
under stated operating conditions [1]. In simple • Use of optimization techniques.
words, reliability is nothing but the non-failure of the Waghmode [5] analyzed and concluded that the
system over a given period of time. Reliability initial price is not the only criteria of the
engineering is a sub-discipline within system procurement. Most of the cost is associated with the
engineering. Equipment and processes failures waste hazard rate or failure rate of the product during the
money on unreliability problem. life cycle of the product. Many organizations
Reliability is a probability. This means that failure is consider only the design and installation cost of a
regarded as a random phenomenon. We do not system and not whole LCC. But it is very essential to
express any information on individual failures, the focus on source of cost savings, especially
causes of failures, or relationships between failures, minimizing energy consumption and plant downtime.
except that the likelihood for failures to occur varies
over time according to the given probability function.
Reliability engineering is concerned with meeting the
specified probability of success, at a specified
statistical confidence level.
Due to increased complexity of systems, reliability
analysis is very essential for increasing the
availability. Reliability analysis is useful for reducing
Life Cycle Cost as well as increasing safety of human Figure 3. Life Cycle Cost Analysis [5].
being. Fault Tree Analysis is one of the tools used for When we consider all the costs over the life cycle of
estimating reliability of a system. Due to its any product, the initial purchase price is only a
simplicity, focuses on possible modes of failures etc. fraction of the total amount spent. Following
it is widely used [3]. equation gives the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) model.
II. NEED OF RELIABILITY STUDY LCC = Acquisition costs + Operating costs + Failure Costs
Cranwell [4] presented a survey of reliability + Support costs + Net Salvage Value.
considerations. Over 90% of all reliability and quality LCC=Cu*N+[Fo+PA(i,td)*Co*N]+[PA(i,td)*Cf*to /
costs in U.S. are being spend to correct product MTTF*N]+[Fs+PA(i,td)*Cs*N]-[PF(i,td)*S*N]
design inadequacies and defects after they have From the case study of reliability analysis of multi-
occurred while less than 10% are being spent to make stage centrifugal pump, it is found that proper
products right in the first place. It is also suggested pumping system design is the most important single
that the equipment purchase decision should be based element in minimizing the LCC. The maintenance
on total life cycle costs, reliability and availability. cost is approximately 2.5 times the initial cost of the
Reliability and optimization in design help to reduce pump. Also it is found that the LCC is near about 12
15-20% of total life cycle costs. to 13 times the initial costs. Hence it essential to
record the data not only for LCC analysis but also it
will also be useful as a base for analyzing the next
generation products.
III. ACQUIRING RELIABILITY DATA
The world became more complicated in the late
1920s, and need of reliable system (such as
Figure 2. Results of implementation of Reliability helicopter, airplane etc.) arises during World War II.
prectices at design stage on LCC [4]. During the 1960s, ‘70s ‘80s applications of reliability
In order to implementation of reliability program principles were put to work. Performance improved
successfully, following steps or basics are to be and cost reduction programs occurred in mainframe
implemented. computers, gas turbine engines, nuclear reactors,

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 Patil et al., Journal of Engineering Research and Studies E-ISSN0976-7916
electronics, automobiles and consumer products
using reliability engineering principles.
Accurate failure data is required for making good
reliability decisions. Failures demonstrate evidence
of lack of reliability. Reliability problems are failure,
and failures cost money in an economic enterprise.
Many factories, chemical plants and refineries have
recorded and stored 10 to 20 years of failure data in Figure 4. – Construction of Fault Tree Diagram.
maintenance information systems. Fresh data is Typically failure rates are carefully derived from
acquired accurately analyzed rigorously when substantiated historical data such as mean time
organization observe that failure data is actually used between failure of the components, unit, subsystem
for decisions. Failure Reporting and Corrective or function. Predictor data may be assigned.
Action Systems (FRACAS) are considered an early FTA can be used as a valuable design tool, can
and important element for initiating improvements by identify potential accidents, and can eliminate costly
acquiring reliability data correctly and using it in a design changes. It can also be used as a diagnostic
closed loop system for improvements [3, 8]. tool, predicting the most likely system failure in a
Such complex failure data is converted into system breakdown. FTA is used in safety engineering
uncompleted, figure of merit, performance indices. and in all major fields of engineering.
Simple arithmetic concept is useful for ‘getting a V. SYMBOLS USED IN FTA
grip’ on reliability by using mean times to/between The basic symbols used in FTA are grouped as
failure derived from the summation of ages to failure events, gates, and transfer symbols.
divided by the number of failures. This is a simple, TRANSFER SYMBOLS
gross indicator of reliability.
Reliability is observed when mean time to failure
(MTTF) for non-repairable systems or mean time
between failure (MTBF) for repairable systems is
long compared to the mission time. Reciprocal of
MTBF or MTTF provide failure rates which are GATE SYMBOL
commonly displayed in tables for reliability data.
Mean time indices are understandable by engineers
but failure rates are usually better for making
calculations.
IV. FAULT TREE ANALYSIS
FTA was originally developed in1962 at Bell
Laboratories by H.A Watson, under a U.S Air
Force Ballistics Systems Division contract to
evaluate the Minuteman I Intercontinental Ballistic
Missile (ICBM) Launch Control System. FTA is the
most commonly used technique for causal analysis in
risk and reliability studies. Fault tree analysis is a
failure analysis in which an undesired state of a EVENT SYMBOL
system is analyzed using Boolean logic to combine a
series of lower-level events. This analysis method is
mainly used in the field of safety engineering to
quantitatively determine the probability of a safety
hazard [6].
FTA is a graphical design technique that provides an
alternative to reliability block diagrams. It is broader
in scope than a reliability block diagram and differs
from reliability block diagrams in several respects. It
is top-down, deductive analysis structured in terms of
events rather than components. An advantage of
focusing on failures is that failures are usually easier
to define than non-failures and there may be far fewer
ways in which non-failures can occur. The focus is VI. FTA OF LATHE MACHINE
usually on a significant failure or a catastrophic A machine tool is power driven machine for making
event, which is referred to as the top event and articles of a given shape, size and accuracy by
appears at the top of the fault tree diagram. removing metal from work piece in the form of chips.
The qualitative analysis consists of identifying the Machine tools are factory equipment for producing
various combinations of events that will cause the top machines, instruments and tools of all kinds. So it can
event to occur. This may followed by a quantitative be said that the machine tool is mother of all
analysis to estimate the probability of occurrence of machines. Hence the size of a country’s stock of
the top event. machine tool and their technical quality and condition
Fault Tree Analysis usually involves events from largely characterize its industrial potential.
machine wear out, material failure or combinations of Most machine tool performs four functions as Hold
deterministic contributions to the event stemming the job, Hold the cutting tool, Move one or both of
from assigning hardware (machine)/system failure these, providing feeding motion to one of them. The
rate to branches or cut sets. lathe is one of the oldest and perhaps most important
JERS/Vol. IV/ Issue I/January-March, 2013/06-08
 Patil et al., Journal of Engineering Research and Studies E-ISSN0976-7916
machine tool ever developed. The job to be machined 4. Robert M. Cranwell, Ground Vehicle Reliability –
Design for Reliability, 2007 DoD Maintenance
to be rotated and cutting tool moved relative to the
Symposium, Orlando, Florida, November 13-16, 2007.
job. That is why the lathe is also called as “Turning 5. L. Y. Waghmode, Some studies on Total life cycle costs
Machines” if the tools move parallel to the axis of of an industrial product or a system, Dissertation of ME
rotation of the work piece, cylindrical surface is Design, Shivaji University, Kolhapur 2004.
6. Mohammad Sadegh Javadi, Azim Nobakht, Ali
produced, while if it moves perpendicular to this axis,
Meskarbashee, Fault Tree Analysis Approach in
it produces the flat surface. Reliability Assessment of Power System, International
In this case study the basic reasons for the failure of Journal of Multidisciplinary Sciences and Engineering,
tool broken of the lathe machine have been studied. Vol. 2, No. 6, September 2011.
7. Masdi Muhammad, M. Amin Abd Majid, A Case Study
Fault Tree has been constructed on the basis of this
of Reliability Assessment for Centrifugal Pumps in a
study and qualitative and quantitative analysis has Petrochemical Plant, Fourth world congress on
been done [9]. engineering asset management Athens, Greece, 28-30
Qualitative Analysis September 2009.
8. Ankush Kumar, Fault Tree Analysis of different
In this sub section using the sub fault tree’s
systems, School of mathematics and computer
and Boolean algebra, the expressions for applications. Thapar University, Patiala (Punjab). July
evaluating the probability of failure of tool broken 2009.
has been obtained which are described below: Appendix I – Fault Tree Diagram of Lathe Machine
F1= V3+V4 ; F2= F1+V7 ; F2= V3+V4+V7; F3= F2+V5+V6 ;
F3= V3+V4+V7+V5+V6; F4= V8+V9 ; F5= V11+V12+V13 ;
F6= F5+V14; F6=V11+V12+V13+V14; F7=F6+V15;
F7= V11+V12+V13+V14+V15 ; F8=F7+V16;
F8= V11+V12+V13+V14+V15+V16 ;
F9= F8+V17; F9=V11+V12+V13+V14+V15+V16+V17;
F= V1+V2+V10+F3+F4+F9;
F=V1+V2+V3+V4+V5+V6+V7+V8+V9+V10+V11+V12+V13+
V14+V15+V16+V17+V18
Quantitative Analysis
For the quantitative evaluation of fault tree of lathe
machine the probability of failures of different
components are collected and shown in Table (4).
Table 1. The description of the bottom events of Lathe
Machine

Putting all the values of V1 , … , V18 in equation

given below,
The probability of failure P (F) of tool broken is
P (F) = 1-[(1-V1) (1-V2) (1-V3) (1-V4) (1-V5) (1-V6) (1-V7)
(1-V8) (1-V9) (1-V10) (1-V11) (1-V12) (1-V13) (1-V14) (1-
V15) (1-V16) (1-V17) (1-V18)]
= 0.18636878
R = 1- Probability of failure
= 1- 0.18636878
R = 0.81363122
VII. SUMMARY
Fault Tree Analysis directly focuses on the modes of
failure, which is more effective method than system
reliability block diagram. Symbols used in FTA are
easy to understand. The tool helps identify areas of
concern for new product design or for improvement
of existing products. It also helps identify corrective
actions to correct or mitigate problems. Design
optimization is possible with Life Cycle Cost (LCC)
model. Failure data analysis helps to reduce
considerable LCC. Reliable failure data is essential
for analysis. It provides a clear and concise means of
imparting reliability information to management.
REFERENCES
1. Charles E. Ebling, Introduction to Reliability and
Maintainability Engineering, Tata McGraw Hill
Publishing House, Edition 2000.
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reliability_%28engineerin
g%29.
3. H. Paul Barringer, P. E. Barringer & Associates, An
Overview of Reliability Engineering Principles, Penn
Well Conferences, January 29 – February 2, 1996.

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