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BlockSim Features - System Analysis Using RBDs or Fault Trees

ReliaSoft's BlockSim 7 provides a comprehensive and flexible platform to model systems and processes using both reliability block diagram (RBD) and fault tree analysis (FTA) approaches. An extensive array of RBD configurations and FTA gates and events are supported, including advanced capabilities to model complex configurations, load sharing, standby redundancy, phases, duty cycles, and more!

Using exact computations and/or discrete event simulation, BlockSim 7 supports a wide variety of analyses for both repairable and non-repairable systems that will be of use to product designers and asset managers. This includes reliability, maintainability, availability, reliability optimization, throughput, resource allocation, life cycle cost and other analyses.

BlockSim 7 provides a sophisticated graphical interface that allows you to model the simplest or most complex systems using Reliability Block Diagrams (RBDs) or Fault Trees -- or a combination of both approaches! The software then algebraically computes system reliability results and optimum reliability allocations based on the exact system reliability function. BlockSim also provides a sophisticated discrete event simulation engine for reliability, maintainability, availability, throughput, life cycle cost summaries and related analyses.

Flexible Reliability Block Diagram (RBD) Creation

BlockSim's interface for Reliability Block Diagram (RBD) creation is the most intuitive, flexible and polished in the industry.

• Simple drag-and-drop techniques allow you to build RBDs for the simplest to the most complex systems. Configuration options include Series, Parallel, and k-out-of-n (and in various complex combinations) plus...
  • Load Sharing Blocks: In a load sharing configuration, each block supports a percentage of the total load.
  • Standby Blocks: In a standby configuration, standby blocks are available to become active under specified circumstances.
  • Mirrored and Multi Blocks: Provide increased versatility with the ability to simulate bi-directional paths, save time/space when entering multiple identical blocks, and more...
• Unlimited subdiagram capability to link diagrams as components in other diagrams.
• Customizable graphical display with the ability to export diagram graphics.
• Pre-defined templates and import/export to save time and ensure consistency, ability to de-activate individual blocks for "what-if" analyses, file attachments, and more...

Integrated Fault Tree Analysis Features

BlockSim's fault tree analysis interface supports all of the traditional FTA gates and event symbols that are applicable to system reliability and related analyses (including AND, OR, Voting OR, Inhibit, Priority AND and Sequence Enforcing gates along with Basic, Undeveloped, Trigger, Resultant and Conditional events). In addition, BlockSim allows you to expand the modeling capabilities through the introduction of new logic gates to represent Load Sharing and Standby Redundancy configurations.

Your BlockSim projects can contain both fault trees and reliability block diagrams, together in the same analysis environment. You can even integrate your fault trees and RBDs by linking a fault tree as a subdiagram to an RBD or vice versa; copying events from a fault tree diagram and pasting them as blocks in an RBD; and automatically converting any fault tree diagram to a reliability block diagram.

Exact Reliability Results/Plots and Optimum Reliability Allocation

Using an exclusive algorithm pioneered by ReliaSoft, BlockSim algebraically computes the exact system reliability function for even the most complex systems. Calculated results include Reliability, Failure Rate, MTTF, Warranty Time, B(X) Life, pdf plots, Reliability Importance plots, and more...

Also exclusively in BlockSim, you can enter cost and achievable reliability improvement information to determine the most cost-effective component reliability allocation strategy to meet a system reliability goal.

Extensive Simulation Options for Analysis of Repairable Systems

BlockSim's simulation capability for maintainability analysis and availability analysis of repairable systems is more sophisticated and realistic than ever. These tools can be used to help you plan and improve a new product design and also to help equipment operators achieve effective asset management.

• Corrective Maintenance (CM), Preventive Maintenance (PM) and Inspection
  Enhanced in Version 7!
  • Maintenance Duration and Restoration Factors: Specify time-dependent distributions or fixed durations for maintenance actions and whether the item will be "as good as new" or less than 100% restored by the maintenance. Support for Kijima model Type 1 Restoration Factors is now available in Version 7.
  • Maintenance Policies: Describe the conditions under which maintenance will be performed (e.g. upon fixed interval, maintenance of another group item, etc.).
  • Spare Parts Pools and Maintenance Crews: Describe the conditions under which spare parts can be obtained and crews are available to perform maintenance, as well as the associated costs.
  New in Version 7!
  • Duty Cycles: Apply a factor to define a duty cycle for a block that may experience a different stress load than the other blocks in the diagram.
  New in Version 7!
• Reliability Phase Diagrams: Use BlockSim’s intuitive Phase Diagram Sheets to model systems that go through different phases during the course of their operation. For example, some aircraft components (such as landing gear) operate only during the take-off and landing phases of a mission and others (such as engines) experience a higher failure rate during these phases due to higher stress. Only BlockSim provides the ability to completely change the configuration and component properties from one phase to another. The software also introduces and fully supports the concept of Maintenance Phases, which allow you to model scenarios in which a system goes into maintenance after completing a specific sequence of phases or skips remaining phases and goes directly to maintenance if a failure occurs.
Enhanced in Version 7!
• Comprehensive Results and Plots: Maintainability and availability results per system and/or per block including: Uptime, Downtime, Mean Time to First Failure (MTTFF), Mean Availabilities, Point Availabilities, Point Reliabilities, Number of Failures, Number of PMs, Number of Inspections, Plots of System Uptime/Downtime, Point Availability vs. Time, Point Reliability vs. Time, and more. System "point" results are now available in Version 7!

The simulations also provide Life Cycle Cost summaries, Throughput estimations, Optimum PM time calculations, and many other results necessary to make effective decisions about your systems.