REQUIREMENTS FOR A FAILURE MODE TAXONOMY FOR USE IN CONCEPTUAL DESIGN

Abstract

In this paper, we present the current state of a failure mode taxonomy, and discuss its potential to explore the failure mode space of aerospace applications. More fundamentally, we discuss what constitutes a good description of a failure that can be detected at the conceptual design stage. Elemental (physics-based) descriptions of failure modes are derived for several domains identified through analyses of historical accident and failure databases for NASA applications. The end product will offer a standard failure mode taxonomy that can be used in conjunction with a functional modeling approach to help detect potential operational failures early in conceptual design