%0 Journal Article
%T Sequential Failure Analysis Using Novel Algorithms in Sequence Determination of Petri Nets Firing
%A Abolfazl Doostparast Torshizi
%A Jamshid Parvizian
%A Farshad Tooyserkani
%J Journal of Industrial Engineering
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/767914
%X Failure occurrence in industrial systems can be a result of a sequence of failures leading to a total system failure. Up to now, several methods to determine failure sequences and to calculate probability of such failures have been proposed. These methods primarily focus on modeling aspects of the problem and do not present a certain framework to determine potential failure sequences. In this paper, a novel approach based on Petri net modeling of the systems is proposed and several heuristic algorithms are developed. Determination of potential failures in sample industrial problems and comparing the results with other existing methods demonstrates that the presented algorithms are much more efficient in dealing with complex Petri net models while existing methods are not capable of handling such complicated models. 1. Introduction Risk analysis of complicated systems, such as flexible manufacturing cells, is a challenging task. There are diverse approaches aiming in describing different risky behaviors of the systems. One of the most applicable tools in this field is the Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) method. This method, presented in early 1960s, is only a static graphical technique to find correlations among principal reasons of a system failure [1] which makes it difficult in dealing with complicated systems. Other methods, including Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), suffer from a similar deficiency [2, 3]. Failures occurring in systems are not confined to failures of each independent sub-system. Sequential failures of sub-systems may also lead to the failure of the entire system. Sequential Failure Logic (SFL) was presented by Fussell et al. [4]. In this research, the focus is on analyzing non-repairable electric supply systems with main and standby power units and switch controls. Exact and approximate methods are used to calculate the probability of occurrence of the output event from priority-AND SFL. It is assumed that elementary events are independent and stochastic [4]. The approach proposed in [4] is then adopted by some researchers, for example, in risk analysis of a human-robot system [5], in the field of product liability prevention [6], and quantitative analysis of dynamic systems like space satellites [7]. The concept of sequential failure analysis [1] has been further developed by introducing counters of transitions in stochastic Petri nets (SPNs) located in various network connections [8]. The probabilities of sequential failures are calculated based on the obtained counters of failure transitions in the net. A fuzzy approach to the
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jie/2013/767914/