Enhanced FMEA by Multi-agent Engineering FIPA Based System to Analyze Failures

The FMEA methodology is one of the risk analysis techniques recommended by international standards. It is a systematic process to identify potential failures to fulfill the intended function, to identify possible failure causes so the causes can be eliminated, and to locate the failure impacts so the impacts can be reduced. By applying the FMEA methodology during the various phases of a product's life cycle, the methodology provides a systematic and disciplined strategy for examining all the ways in which a product can fail. The results of FMEA in turn affect the product design, process development, sourcing and suppliers' quality, downstream (referring to downstream of a process or user of the product) application, and field service. Using Failure Mode and Effects Analysis can potentially be disadvantageous which for this purpose a multi agent system (MAS) is proposed that by relying on its benefits, FMEA disadvantages would fade away. Following is some aspect of how MAS can help to prevent FMEA lack of perfection: - Reactivity of an agent helps to accomplish the analysis of complex systems that have multiple functions consisting of a number of components which could be tedious and difficult; - Robustness and intelligence of it can cover the compound failure effects. - Situated the agents are, lead to exist in an environment and incorporating all possible factors influencing the product/process, such as human errors and environmental impacts, and avoid lengthy analysis and requirements of thorough knowledge of the characteristics and performance of the different components of the system; - Social ability allows the agent to interact with other agents and fulfill the necessity of existence of different expertise, experience in FMEA team skills; - Autonomous and reactive agent deals with data redundancies and pulls it off; - Can be costly and time consuming which flexible agent finds ways to achieve the goals.