Fault Tree Analysis
• Why do we need fault tree analysis?
• What is it?
• Why do we use it?
• Why this matters to you
• How it works
• Bridgestone/Firestone
• Brief exercise
• Summary
What Is Fault Tree
Analysis?
• A common tool using graphics
and statistics to analyze an
event and predict how and how
often it will fail
• Used in engineering and
business to aid process and
system development
Why Do We Use Fault
Tree Analysis?
• Very easy to understand
• Effective way to diagram
problems in a system
• Helps to organize possible
causes of a problem in the
system
Example Of Fault Tree
Is Fault Tree A Tool
For You?
• Does your company have
problems in your system or
process flow?
• Does your system work under
the worst case scenario?
• Do external forces effect
your system?
Is Fault Tree A Tool
For You?
Yes!!
How Does It Work?
• Uses a variety of gates and
events to explain the system
• Uses a top-down approach to
its logic
• End result is at the top of
the tree and what leads to
that result follows under it
And Gate
• One of main
gates used
• The output
above will
occur if the
two events
below both
occur
Or Gate
• The second main
gate used
• The output
above will
occur if either
of one or more
events happens
below
Three Main Events
• Primary Event
• Intermediate Event
• Expanded Event
Primary Events
• Made up of basic,
undeveloped, and external
events
• A time in the event where the
process or system might fail
Basic Event
• Nothing is leading up to the
event
• Can be like a machine
breaking unexpectedly
• A circle is used to represent
the event in the fault tree
Undeveloped Event
• Events that don’t have a
major effect on the system
• Also events that there is not
enough information about
• Represented by a diamond in
the fault tree
External Event
• Expected to happen
• Not considered a fault
• A house shape in a fault tree
Intermediate Event
• A combination of multiple
different faults
• Shown by rectangles in the
fault tree
• Sometimes linked by and/or
gates
Expanded Event
• Complex event that needs
another fault tree to explain
• The fault tree for the
expanded event is not directly
shown in current fault tree
• Shown by a triangle on the
fault tree
Bridgestone Firestone
tires
• Faulty tires on S.U.V.’s
caused numerous accidents
• Officially 148 deaths but
estimates up to 250
• Mostly involved with the Ford
Explorer
Results Of Inquiry
• Four events that led to
faulty tires
• Design problem in tread
• Faulty process in Decatur,
Illinois
• Problem with Ford Explorer
• Customers don’t take proper
care of tires
Values Of Fault Tree
For Firestone
• Preventing the error in the
first place
• After the error in the tire
was found, finding all the
things that caused it
• Preventing similar problems
from happening again
The New Firestone
• Firestone
advertise that
they are a
changed company
• Tries to get
back old
customers
Test Yourself
• What are the two major kinds of
gates?
• What are the three main events?
• A basic event is represented by
a what?
• True or False, an undeveloped
event has a major impact on the
system?
Test Yourself
• What are the two major kinds of
gates? And/Or gates
• What are the three main events?
Primary, Independent, and
Undeveloped
• A basic event is represented by a
what? Circle
• True or False, an undeveloped
event has a major impact on the
system? False
Summary Of Fault Tree
Analysis
• An important tool
• Simple to use
• Graphics make it easy to
understand
• Each event is displayed by a
unique shape
• Helps to prevent and correct
errors in the system
