BLACKPOOL AND THE FYLDE COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP REVIEW 2021
What the...! System Failures Alan Harding
Abstract Failures of artifacts and systems usually take us by surprise albeit we know things do fail. This piece is reading for the new Maritime Management BSc top-up engineering module to introduce concepts around system failures relevant to systems engineering. It is an overview of the topic that is then explored in depth in the lecture series. The use of some pre-reading material that is not over long or involved can help garner interest in a subject and provide an early view where a series of topics is headed, giving some of the drier content more meaning. We can learn much about a subject from exploring failures from the past, and particularly accident reports, where the multifaceted nature of accidents is analysed in detail. An accident that occurred in aerospace is briefly broken down in this short paper. This is then used as a template for student analysis of maritime accidents such as the Costa Concordia.
Introduction We can learn much about an engineering subject from exploring failures of components and systems from the past, and particularly accident reports, where the multifaceted nature of accidents is analysed in detail. In this article an accident that occurred in aerospace is briefly broken down. This can be used as a template for student analysis of maritime accidents such as the Costa Concordia as part of their maritime technology management module.
Why Systems Fail The failure of an electronic or mechanical system often comes as a surprise. If the system is safety critical for the function, such as a structural failure, the result can be a disaster. A system performing a function is often more than the equipment but includes the operators. Those operators function in an environment that includes the ambient conditions, ergonomics, culture and training. All systems will eventually fail. Even the pyramids crumble, albeit after millennia. Failures occur for a variety of reasons that includes, for example, wear, crack growth from defects, and radiation embrittlement. We often deal with these by ascribing a life to a component. However, this cannot always be determined and so we end up with estimated failure rates that are often based on historical data. However, software is different as it is either right or wrong for the circumstance that arises. Manufactured parts can include defects, and under mechanical stress those defects can result in cracks that grow over time, some components are given an operating life. That life has a margin of error ascribed and at the end of an operating period the component is inspected, repaired or replaced. Because software is either right or wrong, its integrity is assured by the design, test, and inspection process. Those processes are governed by engineering standards that are applied to various industries such as the nuclear industry.
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