System Design Constraints,

RAM-T, a Paradigm Shift

Vern Fox
United Defense LP
Agenda
 RAM-T Overview
 Legacy Methods
 Legacy Results
 Paradigm Shift: RAM-T Case
 Implementation

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RAM-T Overview
 What is RAM-T
 Reliability - The ability of a system or component to perform its
required functions under stated conditions for a specified period of
time.
 Availability – the ability of a product to be ready for use when the
customer wants to use it (uptime/uptime+downtime)
 Maintainability - the relative ease and economy of time and resources
with which an item can be retained in, or restored to, a specified
condition when maintenance is performed by personnel having
specified skill levels, using prescribed procedures and resources at
prescribed level of maintenance and repair.
 Testability – A design characteristic which allows the status (operable,
inoperable or degraded) of an item to be determined and the isolation
of failures within the item to be performed in a timely manner.
 System Design Constraints

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Legacy Methods
Legacy Approach Eliminate some component RAM-T drivers
Fix integration issues
Eliminate some component RAM-T drivers Update design
Fix integration issues Late identification of component
Update design RAM-T shortcomings
limits corrective action
System Int
Assessments Subsystem Int
and Test
Preliminary Design Detailed Design Test Fielding

 Perform predictions
 Based on handbook data
 Based on similar equipment
 Address SOME RAM-T drivers
 RAM-T optimized during test
 Low initial RAM-T
 High test hours, high $’s
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Legacy Results
Demonstrated Reliability Versus Requirements for
Operational TypeTests FIELD
4500
LUT
1000 FOT
900 IOT
Met
Demonstrated MTB_

800 DT/OT
Only
700 30%
600 Not Met
Success
500
400
300
200
(Data 1996 - Oct 01)
100
0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
Requirement MTB_

Of Failed Tests, 75 % Of Systems Failed to Achieve Even Half Of Their

Requirement!
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Paradigm Shift: RAM-T Case
 Legacy methodologies failing
 Methodology required for infusing RAM-T into design
 Criteria
• Early, influence design during design phase
• Return on Investment (ROI)
 Result: Paradigm Shift – RAM-T Case
• Make case for how RAM-T requirements will be met
 Combination of analyses and tests
o Physics of Failure (PoF) analyses
o RAM-T Enhancement Tests (RET)
 RAM-T Case Management Plan
 RAM-T Case Report
• Elevate RAM-T constraint importance

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 Paradigm Shift
Legacy Approach Eliminate some component RAM-T drivers
Fix integration issues
Eliminate some component RAM-T drivers Update design
Fix integration issues
Late identification of component
Update design
RAM-T shortcomings
limits corrective action
System Int
Assessments Subsystem Int
and Test
Preliminary Design Detailed Design Test Fielding

RAM-T Case Approach

Eliminate component reliability drivers
Update design Fix integration issues
Eliminate component reliability drivers Update design
Update design Fix integration issues
Early identification and elimination of Update design
component level failures
System Int
PoF RET Subsystem Int
and Test

Emphasize: Early identification and elimination of RAM-T shortcomings

Example: Achieve Higher Mi on prototype delivery
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Paradigm Shift: RAM-T Case
 Make case for meeting RAM-T requirements
 Documented in RAM-T Case Management Plan
• A living document, updated throughout the program
• Plan and supporting data subject to approval
• RAM-T requirements are clearly understood
• Methods/activities to be performed to make case
• Ensure RAM-T is key factor in the design process
• Ensure RAM-T is of equal weight with other engineering
disciplines
 RAM-T Case Report
• A living document, updated throughout the program
• Reasoned, auditable documentation of progressive
assurance that RAM-T requirements will be met
• Audit trail of engineering considerations, trade studies,
analyses and assessments

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Paradigm Shift: RAM-T Case
 A RAM-T Case Program/Plan sample contents
• Benchmarking RAM-T Requirements
• Dynamic/static design modeling, simulation, or probabilistic
analysis
• Critical component identification
• RAM-T Modeling, Optimization and Component/System Testing
• Environmental stress (operate and storage)
• Physics-of-Failure (PoF)
• Structural finite-element stress analysis
• Fatigue analysis
• Wear-out/service life analysis
• Long-term storage (shelf life) assessment
• Prognostics analysis
• Fault detection/isolation analysis
• Built-in Test False alarm rate analysis
• Availability Analysis
• On-board Sparing: Supportability analysis
• RAM-T Block Diagram
• RAM-T Assessments Analysis
• Risk assessment & mitigation
• Diminishing resources/obsolescence plan
• Pit Stop Engineering

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Paradigm Shift: RAM-T Case
 RAM-T Case Management Plan
 Methods/activities to be performed to make case
• Goal - Robust designs
• Physics of Failure (PoF)
 Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
 Fatigue Analysis
 Probabilistic Analysis
 calcePWA Analysis
 Pit-Stop Engineering
• RAM-T Enhancement Testing (RET)
 Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT)
 Accelerated Life Testing (ALT)

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 Engineering-Based Reliability
 Physics of Failure,
-Model the root causes of failure (e.g.,
fatigue, fracture, corrosion & wear)
 CAD tools developed
- By industry/academia/government
Stress (e.g., - To address specific materials, sites, &
vibration) is architectures
propagated from
system level to
failure site

Benefits Root-cause failure

•Design-in reliability is cracking of
•Eliminate failures prior to test solder joint
•Increased fielded reliability
•Decreased O&S costs
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 Software Tools

Finite Element
Modeling
Solid Modeling Dynamic Simulation

Fatigue Analysis Electronic Circuit

Thermal Fluid Analysis Card and IC Toolkits

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 Physics of Failure to Evaluate Electronics
Enclosure Design
Circuit Card Vibration/Shock
Computational Design Environment
Fluid
Dynamics Model
CalcePWA
Circuit Card
Thermal Tool
Conditions

Determine if electronics
are acceptable based on
analysis
PoF-Based ESS Determine if circuit
card or enclosure can be
redesigned to eliminate Accelerated Life Testing
failure mechanism on critical board or IC failure
mechanisms
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 Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Modeling

Examples: ICEPAK, FLOWMAX, University

of Maryland CalceCFD

Inputs
• Exterior ambient air temperature
• Initial temperature
• Fan properties
• Power dissipated for each CCA

Outputs
• Interior air velocity
• Interior air temperature
• CCA edge temperature

Outputs from CFD analysis used as boundary conditions for CCA thermal modeling
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 UMD CalcePWA Software Tool
Architecture & environment Reports and documentation
modeling Toolbox

Failure assessment
Vibration analysis & sensitivity analysis
Thermal analysis

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 Electronics Circuit Card Success Stories
Tracked Vehicle Increased
Radar Ground Station $1.2M Saved
• Identified potential Reliability
• Analysis showed commercial thermal & vibration
circuit card OK problems

Tri-Service Radio $27M Cost Air & Ground System Electronics

Avoidance
• Identified weak link in
design & verified
• Validated with testing
Army Helicopter
• Air Force analysis showed
commercial ICs OK
Design Changes
Recommended
• Circuit card & thermal
box-level analyses
• Identified problems & ensured
reliable expansion of capability
$50M Missile System
Savings
• Analysis on Plastic Ball Grid
Array IC package
Evaluate New Technology
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 Fatigue Analysis Using Dynamic Simulation & FEA
Solid Modeling Dynamic Load Analysis
Terrain Model System Model Dynamics Analysis

DADS
Pro/E
Test Course Microprofile
ATC Cross Country 3 Course - Left and Right Tracks
November, 1998
De-trended Data

15

10

Displacement - Inches
5

Right Track
0
Left Track

-5

-10

-15
100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Distance - Feet

Component Stress Analysis

FE Model FEA

NASTRAN

Reliability Analysis
Fatigue Life Assessment Reliability Based
List of Critical Nodes Design Optimization
DRAW

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 Three-Dimensional CAD Solid Models
CAD: Pro/Engineer, AUTOCAD, I-deas, Solidworks,
 Used for design and manufacture
 Used to develop Finite Element Analysis & Dynamic Analysis
models

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 Finite Element Analysis (FEA) Models

Mode 1

Examples: NASTRAN, ANSYS,

ABACUS, Pro/Mechanica, I-deas
 Calculates vibration modes
 Calculates stress and strain
 Input into fatigue analysis
 Used for structural stress evaluation
Mode 2
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 Flexible-Body Dynamic Analysis Model

Examples: DADS & ADAMS

• Multi-body approach
Vehicle traversing simulated terrain
• Use input from solid model profile
& FEA model
• Experimental data used for
model inputs of tire, shock
absorbers & suspension
• Determines force/
acceleration time history at
all locations on trailer

Input into FEA & fatigue analyses

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 Fatigue Analysis Software
Examples: nCode, LMS, University
of Iowa DRAW
• Edits & characterizes strain time
histories
• Rainflow counting & mean stress
correction of strain cycles
• Estimates plastic strain based on
elastic stress or strain calculations
• Calculates fatigue life based on
measured (strain gauge) or FEA
strain time histories
AMP1.DAC
Strain
uE
AMP1.RSD
Strain
uE
AMP1N.RSD
Strain
uE

1000

-1000

-2000

-3000

-4000
15.2 15.4 15.6 15.8

Time Secs Screen 1

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 Trailer Physics-of-Failure Project

Fatigue life estimates of

drawbar consistent with
failure data

Life (Blocks)
Critical Point
White represents low fatigue life

Benefits:
Early identification of failure modes
Better test planning and design Enlargement of
Critical Region
Improved maintenance procedures
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Paradigm Shift: RAM-T Case
 Pit-Stop Engineering
 User/Maintainer hardware interface as a key design parameter
 Develop Standards of Excellence
• Defines the critical parameters
• Examples
 37 pounds maximum for an electrical assembly.
 Spares on board to provide on board failure recovery.
 Placement of electronics should be on exterior man accessible
surfaces, no buried electronics.
 No cables in places where they cannot be accessed.
 Use common connectors throughout.
 Etc.
 Visualization for decision making

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Paradigm Shift: RAM-T Case

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Paradigm Shift: RAM-T Case

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Paradigm Shift: RAM-T Case

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Paradigm Shift: RAM-T Case
 Reliability Enhancement Testing (RET)
 Testing focused on Reliability improvement
 Objective
• Find failure modes
• Eliminate failure modes
• Mitigate those not able to eliminate
 Period of performance
• Once hardware is available
 Methodologies
• Use up the life of the product
 Normal use (years)
 Accelerated life test (weeks or months)
 Highly accelerated life test (days)

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Paradigm Shift: RAM-T Case

Load Levels

Upper Destruct Limit

Upper Operating Limit

Upper Destruct
Upper Design Limit Margin
Upper Operating
Margin
Upper Design
Upper Specification Limit Margin

Nominal

Lower Specification Limit

Lower Design
Lower Design Limit Margin Lower Operating
Margin Lower Destruct
Lower Operating Limit Margin

Lower Destruct Limit

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Paradigm Shift: RAM-T Case

Environmental Stress Chamber Test Equipment Providing

with Unit Under Test (UUT) real-time status of UUT
Powered-up and Functioning performance
under load

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Implementation
 Embrace the philosophy
 Determine critical items
 Put together multi-disciplined team
 Reliability Improvement Working Group (RIWG)
 Determine RAM-T Case methodologies
 Document in Action Plan

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Implementation
 Reliability Improvement Working Groups
 Integrated, collaborative team composed of design,
specialty, and test personnel to develop Action Plans for
critical components to improve the reliability early in the
design process.
 Action Plans cover proactive reliability tasks such as
design reviews, load/stress surveys, failure mode
analysis, physics of failure, probabilistic analysis, and
reliability enhancement testing.
 Forum for discussing Action Plans with and receiving
input from reliability improvement experts from
customer, OPM, AMSAA, AEC, and other government and
industry organizations.

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Implementation

 Risk Mitigation & Proactive Reliability Tasks

Conceptual
Failure Mode Prognostic Probabilistic
Analysis Approach PoF RET Analysis
Recoil Seal Completed Ongoing Planned
Rammer Chain Completed Ongoing Planned
Laser Flash Tube Ongoing Planned Planned (1)
Servo Control Unit
Connector Completed Planned
Digital Servo
Controller Circuit Card Completed Planned Planned (1)
Dynamic Cable Completed
Split Idler Planned Planned Planned
Road Wheels Planned Planned Planned
Suspension
Subsystem Planned Planned

Note: Planned through March 2004 unless otherwise indicated

Note (1): Planned by PDR
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Implementation

 Emerging Findings, Physics of Failure, FEA

 Recoil Seal

The gaps show that the whole surface area is not being used to seal.

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RIWG Projected Costs
 Emerging Findings, RET
 Rammer Chain Housing Material

Material Sample

Result: Influenced material selection

Significant parameters: Wear and heat buildup

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