Item Properties

Each item in the system hierarchy can have basic properties associated with it (such as name, description, part number, etc.) as well as reliability characteristics (such as operating time, target reliability, etc.). When an item is selected in the system hierarchy or the failure modes and reliability analysis (FMRA), you can view and edit this information on the Properties tab in the Analysis panel.

Some of the fields that are enabled in the interface, as well as the options available in configurable drop-down lists, will depend on the interface style for the current project.

  • Identifiers are the same identifiers that are used to filter and group resources and analyses in all ReliaSoft desktop applications.
    • Image: An image that is displayed for the item in the Analysis panel only. Click the icon to open a window and browse for the desired image file.
    • Name: This field is populated automatically by the software based on the item’s position within the system hierarchy, but it can be changed by the user. The field cannot be blank and cannot contain any of the following characters: \ / : " * ? < > |.
    • Category: A predefined category that can be used throughout the current database to find, filter and group analysis data. (See Item Categories in XFMEA/RCM++.)
    • Part Number, Version, Supplier, Application, Description and Comments: Optional fields that provide additional information about the item.
    • Keywords: Words or phrases (separated by commas) that can be used to find or filter analysis data. If desired, you can use the Smart Add Keywords utility to automatically choose words from the name and/or description for this item.
  • Other Item Properties
    • FMEA % Completed: This field is always displayed in the item properties. Enter the percentage as a number => 0 and <=100. This value can be displayed in dashboard charts, queries and generated reports.
    • Reference Number: A reference number associated with the item.
    • Alternate Part Number: An alternate part number for the item.
    • CAGE Code: The Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code associated with the item.
    • LCN: The Logistic Control Number (LCN) associated with the item.
    • Reference Designator: The reference designator for the item.
    • Drawing Number: The number of the drawing associated with the item.
    • Qty per System: and Qty per Assembly: These properties are applicable only if the item is not a top-level system. They represent:
      • Quantity of identical sub-items in the system (e.g., 4 engines per airplane).
      • Quantity of sub-items in the next higher level assembly (e.g., 2 engines per wing).

Note: These fields are informational only and do not affect the reliability calculations in the FMRA. To affect these values, use the Qty field in the Operation node. Refer to Setting the Operation Properties for an FMRA for more information.

    • Similar To: Another item similar to this one.
    • Design Engineer: The name of the design engineer for the item.
    • MMEL: The item's impact on the Minimum Master Equipment List (MMEL), as used in the aircraft industry.
  • The Ratings fields are used if you want to perform item risk calculations on the system hierarchy items. (See Item Risk.)
  • User-Defined: Up to five text fields, two date fields, two number fields and four drop-down lists (two in versions prior to Version 2020).
  • The Operation and Reliability Policy fields are relevant if you wish to a) calculate criticality metrics, b) generate a baseline system reliability based on information in the FMEA or c) share system configuration and failure mode data between the software and BlockSim. (See Failure Modes and Reliability Analysis (FMRA).) These fields can be shown or hidden depending on the Hide reliability nodes on item properties setting on the Settings page of the Application Setup.
  • The Reliability/Availability fields allow you to enter the target reliability and availability that you hope to achieve, and compare them to the current estimates from the FMRA. These fields can be shown or hidden depending on the Hide reliability nodes on item properties setting on the Settings page of the Application Setup.
  • The Push to Metrics fields allow you to associate metric resources with the current reliability/availability. The metric is automatically updated whenever you recalculate/resimulate the value in the FMRA. (See Pushing Metrics from an FMRA.) These fields can be shown or hidden depending on the Hide reliability nodes on item properties setting on the Settings page of the Application Setup.
  • The History fields display information about when the record was created and last modified. If the history log has been activated at the project level, you can click the View Item History icon to open the Record History Log for the item.

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