Integrating Reliability Engineering with Model Based Systems Engineering

Summary & ConclusionsAs fully digital programs become commonplace, it is imperative that Reliability Engineering (RE) adapt to take advantage of all the benefits that Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) offers. At the same time, integrating RE with MBSE cannot result in a loss of modeling and prediction fidelity, nor should it drive significant learning on reliability engineers of new tools and programming languages. The approach should, however, consider the particular nuances of the modeling being performed. This paper describes two distinct techniques for this integration effort adopted by two program areas within the same company. Both approaches contain unique advantages, and it is shown that there is no single best way to perform RE within an MBSE framework.The first approach described performs the reliability analysis in a Microsoft Excel based model. The important properties of the system hardware are captured in a table in Cameo. This table is then exported to Excel and compared to the hardware in the Excel reliability model. Once any hardware changes have been updated, the table can be exported back to Cameo to include the updated reliability properties.The second approach described integrates MATLAB with Cameo. The reliability analysis is either performed in MATLAB or another tool then integrated into MATLAB. Then, through a series of scripts, Cameo connects with the MATLAB analysis to fully integrate the system model with the reliability model.Each of these approaches can be used by a wide variety of programs in diverse industries. The appeal of these approaches is that it allows Reliability Engineers to continue using their current tools while ensuring that their models always align with the current system architecture.