Building the FMRA Hierarchy

The FMRA hierarchy will automatically display any records from the XFMEA/RCM++/RBI system hierarchy and FMEA that are relevant to the reliability/maintainability/criticality calculations. This may include items, functions, failures and causes.

You also have the option to add records directly within the FMRA hierarchy in either XFMEA/RCM++/RBI or BlockSim. Any records that you add in this manner will also appear in the system hierarchy or FMEA.

Adding New Records

The options for adding new records will depend on the record that is currently selected and the reliability policies. If a record's reliability policy is set to "Define at this level," you will not be able to add new dependents via the FMRA because those records would be irrelevant to the reliability/maintainability/criticality calculations.

The following commands may be available in the FMRA tab of the ribbon, and when you right-click inside the FMRA hierarchy.

  Add System adds a new top-level system hierarchy item.

  Add Next Level Item adds a new system hierarchy item below the one that is currently selected.

  Add Same Level Item adds a new system hierarchy item in the same level as the one that is currently selected.

   Add Function adds a new function to the FMEA. If an FMEA does not already exist for this item, it will be created automatically.

   Add Failure adds a new failure to the FMEA.

   Add Cause adds a new cause to the FMEA. If the FMEA does not already include an effect to add the cause to, one will be created automatically.

Note: The FMRA always adds causes under the last effect in the FMEA hierarchy. If you want to add causes under different effects, you must add them directly in the FMEA.

Deleting Records

To delete a record, select it in the hierarchy and press DELETE (or choose Home > Edit > Delete). The record will be deleted, along with any dependents. There is no undo for deleting a record. If you do this in Xfmea/RCM++/RBI and the FMRA is being synchronized with FMRA diagrams in BlockSim, any records deleted in this way will be represented by 1/n nodes when the diagrams are resynchronized. Such nodes are placeholders that have no mathematical effect within the diagram; they simply allow the diagram to maintain any customized configurations that may have been created. The name of the deleted record is shown in each node block's description.  

Using Cut/Copy to Move or Duplicate Records

To move or duplicate records in the FMRA, you can use the same cut/copy and paste commands that are available in the XFMEA/RCM++/RBI system hierarchy and FMEA.

The FMRA does not allow drag/drop, move up/move down or promote/demote.

Tip: Remember that after an item has been cut or copied, any edits that are made to the original will also be applied to its copy in the Clipboard. Likewise, if you delete the original, its copy will also be deleted from the Clipboard (and cannot be pasted later).