Vehicle Side Airbag

Objectives

Objectives were to introduce and apply the Failure Mode Avoidance methodology in the early phase of development to design out potential failures caused by noise parameters. This was requested by Autoliv's largest customer for passenger car airbags.

Method

Failure Mode Avoidance tools such as Boundary Diagram, Function Definition, Design FMEA, Parameter Diagram, Robustness Checklist as well as Robustness Demonstration Matrix were successfully applied in a series of workshops. These workshops included combined training and tool application. Hence, these workshops did not only deliver tangible results that could be demonstrated to the customer, but were also executed such that the engineers would learn all tips and tricks related to the application of the tools.

Results

After carefully defining the system boundary, measurable functions were defined and their requirements were specified. The framework for a function-driven Design FMEA analysis was setup and potential failure modes were identified. Recommended actions were developed to mitigate the risk. The design and noise parameters that influence the system's functions were systematically identified and a clever plan was developed to enhance the existing design verification tests. This by inclusion of noise parameters to excite failure modes.

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