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Qualtech Systems, Inc. Awarded US Air Force R&D Contract for "FMECA Driven EHM Design"

Wethersfield, CT. August 2003 - Qualtech Systems, Inc. (QSI) has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract. The project will be managed out of the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL/PRTA), Wright Patterson Air Force Base. The R&D will address advanced Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) and seamless integration with Engine Health Management (EHM) design and implementation. In order to optimally design an EHM solution, design engineers must use a FMECA process to understand the potential faults in the system, their manifestation as functional failures (effects), their probabilities of occurrence, system level implications in terms of safety and mission criticality, and so on. The EHM solution – identification and implementation of optimum level of embedded and off-board diagnostic and prognostic capabilities - must be derived from, and kept in sync with this FMECA model. The F-100 engine will be the initial target for this project, however, the tools and methods developed will have wide ranging applicability to other engine models and other complex critical systems.

The failure space modeling, analysis and optimization tools to be developed/enhanced (figure 1) on this project will enable graphical/advanced FMECA, integrated design for testability, design for diagnostics, design for prognostics, as well as new features for design analysis such as Fault Tree Analysis and Probabilistic Risk Assessment. A unique aspect of the proposed solution is that the FMECA data (model) will be directly embedded into the EHM design as a diagnostics and health management reasoner. The EHM design based on failure space modeling and optimization, combined with data from the FMECA process, will provide the following benefits to the Air Force:

* Improve operational safety: The integration of engine health management design and FMECA assessment information will ensure that all critical symptoms are related to their appropriate root causes, and enables tracking the progression of low criticality level faults to induced faults with possibly higher criticality levels via the FMECA-based EHM system. It also ensures that all effects are catalogued, evaluated, and appropriately mitigated.

* Improve situational awareness: The systems monitoring capability enables the current health of the system to be continuously and accurately assessed and intelligently placed prognostic algorithms allow EHM to predict future reliability problems before failures/damage occurs.

* Maintain consistent, concurrent and traceable EHM design and FMECA analysis: The integration of EHM design, reliability and maintainability, and FMECA analysis information in a single toolset provides traceability, and concurrency of FMECA reporting and analysis regime with the EHM design evolution and system upgrades. In the proposed solution, the graphical, object orientated FMECA “model” is easy to modify/update/validate. It can stay in sync with the design evolution and facilitate the upgrades to the on-board/off-board EHM system. In essence, the FMECA will be the mechanism by which the EHM on-board/off-board reasoners are updated.

The Current TEAMS FMECA will be significantly enhanced

Qualtech (QSI) is a recognized leader in software products and engineering services for advanced diagnostics and systems health management. QSI products enable OEMs & Maintenance organizations to reduce the cost of design, development, and life cycle support of complex systems. Users of the technology have demonstrated troubleshooting time reductions of over 75% and increases in system availability of more than 30%. Recognized by NASA and Aviation Week for technology innovation, QSI’s software enables equipment manufacturers and support organizations to generate new aftermarket service revenues and distinguish themselves with state-of-the-art Diagnostics, Prognostics, and Health Management capability. Current customers include Sikorsky, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney, NASA, Boeing, US Air Force, and Orbotech (Israel).