WF04: Create FBD Model for FCM Simulations

Pre-requisites

• MADE Project: a configured project.
• Bill of Materials (BOM): establishes the system configuration to build the functional block diagram (FBD) model.

Detailed Descriptions (numbered steps)

1. Create model items with 'New Item' options under 'Modeling' in the main menu bar or via the context menu opened on the system model viewer canvas.
2. Define function(s) in the Functions Editor, accessed by 'Functions' via the right-click context menu opened on the model item. Click and drag the relevant function from the Function taxonomy and place on the canvas.
3. Click and drag the relevant functional flows from the Functional Flow taxonomy list onto the relevant in- or out-put. Connect Flow Properties clicking and dragging from In Flows to Out Flows.
4. Continue creating model items, defined with functions and functional flows.
5. Connect functional flows between model items by clicking and dragging from the output of one item, to the input of the other. Only same functional flows will connect.
6. Select a model item and define General details in the Properties viewer, which overlaps with Advanced details accessed by 'Advanced Properties' via the context menu opened on the model item. Also define Product Characteristics, if necessary.
7. Access Functions Editor and select a functional flow property to define General details in the Properties viewer.
8. Select a functional flow connection between flow properties to define causality details in the Properties viewer.
9. Select another model item, repeating previous steps until all are defined with the necessary details for FCM simulation.
10. Execute 'Propagate All' in the context menu opened on the system model viewer canvas, 'Select all' to view all functional flows and then 'Propagate', to review FCM response simulations.
11. Following review of FCM response simulations in the Propagation Table viewer, if responses are deemed unacceptable, alter functional flows until acceptable, including creating model items.
12. FBD Model created for FCM simulations.

Fields referenced in the diagram

• Define Model Item Details: General Properties, Advanced Properties, Product Characteristics
• Define Flow Property General Details: Display Name, Unit, Initial Value, Internal Damping
• Define Functional Flow Causality Details: Polarity, Response Filter, Acausality, Causal Strength

Decision points

• All Model Items Created? — No → loop back to Create Model Item; Yes → Connect Functional Flows.
• All Model Items Defined? — No → loop back to Define Model Item Details; Yes → Review FCM Response Simulations.
• Responses Acceptable? — No → loop back to Define Functional Flows; Yes → FBD Model For FCM Created.

Outputs

• Propagation Table: tabulated results of failure propagations throughout system model for FCM response simulations, exportable as .csv file.

Screenshot walkthrough (captions/labels extracted)

Step 1: Create Model Item

• 'Modeling' menu: New Connection, New Item > (Part, Component, Subsystem), New RBD Group, Activate Failure Diagram.
• Right-click context menu on canvas: New > (Part, Component, Subsystem), Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete, Zoom In (Ctrl+=), Zoom Out (Ctrl+-), Propagate All...

Step 3: Define Function(s)

• 'Modeling' menu: New Connection, New Item, New RBD Group, Activate Failure Diagram, Hazard Diagram, Functional Diagram, Mission Profile Definition, Requirements, System Environment, Unit Life Parameter, System Model, Bond Graph, Failure Diagram, Functions, RBD Model, Maintenance Actions, System Maintenance Editor, Environment Library, Sensor Library, Annotations.
• Project Explorer tree example: Vehicle System [4/29] > Functions, Coupling, Driveline [11], Power Generation [3/14] > Functions, Control Measures, Control Unit, Diesel Engine [8] > Functions, Air Filter, Coupling 1, Engine, Governor (context menu shown: New, System Model, Failure Diagram, Functions, Maintenance Actions, Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete, End Effect Item, Response Paths, Override Failure Diagram, Failure Injection, Response Simulation, Load from Library, Save to Library, Advanced Properties).
• "Functions" editor tabs: Functions / Flows; taxonomy list Branch, Channel, Connect (highlighted), Control, Convert, Provide, Signal, Stop, Support.

Step 3 (continued): Define Functional Flows

• "Control" function block: IN FLOWS = Electrical (Current / Voltage radio), Continuous (checkboxes Amplitude, Data, Frequency, Phase, Signal to noise ratio); OUT FLOWS = Mechanical - linear (Force / Linear velocity radio). Connection drawn from Voltage → Linear velocity, and Amplitude → (out flows).
• Left taxonomy tree: Energy > Acoustic, Chemical, Electrical, Electromagnetic, Generic, Hydraulic, Magnetic, Mechanical - rotational, Mechanical - linear (highlighted), Pneumatic, Thermal; Material; Signal.

Step 5: Connect Functional Flows

• "Diesel Engine" system canvas (Mission Profile: Regular Trip; End Effect Item: Vehicle System) with items: Air Filter, Coupling 1 (flagged with a red warning icon), Lift Pump, Primary Fuel Filter, Secondary Fuel Filter, Injector Pump, Governor, Engine, feeding IN/OUT blocks. Two progressive screenshots show connections being drawn (green = functional flow, red = failure flow, blue = signal flow) between Governor and Injector Pump, and among Lift Pump → Primary Fuel Filter → Secondary Fuel Filter → Injector Pump → Engine → OUT.

Step 6: Define Model Item Details

• Same "Properties > General", "Advanced Properties > Overview", and "Advanced Properties > Product Characteristics" tables as in WF03 Step 2 (Item Name, Item Number, Physical Description, Functional Narrative, LCN, Critical Item, Safety Item, LRU/SRU, Instance Count; Vendor Name/Number, Model Year/Program, Initial Operating Age, Synonyms, Documents, Drawing Reference, Digital Image, Icon; full Product Characteristics matrix).

Step 7: Define Flow Property General Details

• "Functions" editor for "Governor" item: "Control" block IN FLOWS = Electrical (Voltage selected) / Continuous (Amplitude checked); OUT FLOWS = Mechanical - linear (Linear velocity selected).
• "Properties" panel for "Linear velocity": tabs General / Narrative. Fields: Name ("Linear velocity"), Flow Property ("Linear velocity"), Function ("Control - Mechanical - linear (OUT)"), Unit ("m/s"), Initial Value slider (0.0, range -10 to 10), Internal Damping slider (0.0, range 0 to 10).

Step 8: Define Functional Flow Causality

• Same "Governor" Functions editor with a connector drawn from Amplitude → Linear velocity.
• "Properties" panel for "Amplitude -> Linear velocity" causality: tabs General. Fields: Source ("Control Continuous Amplitude (Governor)"), Target ("Control Mechanical - linear Linear velocity (Governor)"), Function ("Control"), Polarity radio (Positive selected / Negative), Response Filter dropdown ("No Filter"), Acausal checkbox, Causal Strength slider (10.00, range 1-10).

Step 10: Review FCM Response Simulations

• "Diesel Engine" canvas context menu: New, Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete, Zoom In/Out, Fault Tree, Propagate All... (highlighted).
• "Propagation Table - FCM" viewer: header "Detectable Failures: 33% | Threshold Type: Trivalent Sigmoid | Generated: 1:32:46 AM". Table columns: Component, Flow Property, Failure, and per-component result columns (Air Filter (Gas - Ma...), Coupling 1 (Mech...), Engine (Mechanic...), Governor (Mechan...), Injector Pump (Liq...), Lift Pump (Liquid ...), Pri...). Rows include Air Filter/Mass flow rate (Gas) = Low; Coupling/Angular velocity (Mechanical - rotational) = Low; Engine/Torque (Mechanical - rotational) = Low; Governor/Linear velocity (Mechanical - linear) = High (flagged in multiple columns); Governor/Linear velocity (Mechanical - linear) second row = Low; Injector Pump/Dynamic pressure (Liquid) = Low; Lift Pump/Flow rate (Liquid) = Low; Primary Fuel Filter/Flow rate (Liquid) = Low; Secondary Fuel Filter/Flow rate (Liquid) = Low. Values are color-coded Low (blue down arrow) / High (red up arrow).

Step 12: FBD Model For FCM Created

• Final "Diesel Engine" canvas showing completed connections: Air Filter → Engine (green); Coupling 1 (warning icon) feeding back; Lift Pump → Primary Fuel Filter → Secondary Fuel Filter → Injector Pump → Engine → OUT; Governor connected into Injector Pump and Lift Pump chain; IN block feeding multiple colored flow lines (green/red/blue) into Lift Pump and Governor.

Related workflows

• WF03 – Create FBD Model for Bond Simulations