FMEA
Science & Engineering abbreviation · Engineering
| Stands for | Failure mode and effects analysis |
|---|---|
| Categories | Science & Engineering |
FMEA stands for Failure mode and effects analysis, an engineering abbreviation also used in business.
Systematic method for identifying the ways a product, process or system could fail, the effects of each failure and their causes, then ranking risks so the most serious are addressed first. FMEA is standard practice in automotive, aerospace, medical device and manufacturing engineering.
Example: The design FMEA rated a loose connector as high severity, so a locking latch was added.
Usage notes
The US military defined FMEA procedures in 1949, and NASA and the automotive industry adopted them in the 1960s and 1970s. Traditional FMEAs score severity, occurrence and detection from 1 to 10 and multiply them into a risk priority number (RPN); the 2019 AIAG-VDA handbook replaced RPN with "action priority." FMECA adds criticality analysis.
Related abbreviations
More engineering abbreviations
- ERV – Energy recovery ventilator
- FAT – Factory acceptance test
- FCAW – Flux-cored arc welding
- FE – Fundamentals of Engineering (exam)
- FEA – Finite element analysis
- FEM – Finite element method
- FoS – Factor of safety
- GD&T – Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing
- GMAW – Gas metal arc welding
- GTAW – Gas tungsten arc welding
- HAZ – Heat-affected zone
- HAZOP – Hazard and operability study