ENMA 6050: Reliability, Failure Analysis, and Risk
Assessment
Student Outcomes
This
class is designed to produce the following student outcomes (derived from ABET
A-K criteria):
1. Apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and
engineering: This course introduces students to a variety
of process and tools to analyze, assess, and improve system, component, and
process reliability and failure characteristics. All of these processes and tools require
students to apply mathematics, science, and engineering in real-world
conditions.
2. Design and conduct experiments, and analyze
and interpret data: For this course, reliability and failure
related experiments are typically designed and conducted and data is typically
generated outside of the class. This
course provides students with knowledge, skills, and experience in using a wide
variety of analysis and data interpretation processes and tools that are
applied to the results of these experiments in order to determine reliability
and failure characteristics.
3. Design a system, component, or process to
meet needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental,
social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and
sustainability: This course does not directly involve
students in design of systems, components, or processes. Rather, students learn how to analyze and
assess system, component, and process reliability and failure characteristics
and how to insure that systems, components, and processes meet real-world
reliability and failure constraints.
Homework assignments and student team projects stress understanding ways
in which reliability and failure characteristics have direct impact on
economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety
manufacturability, and sustainability issues.
4. Function on multi-disciplinary teams:
This course is project-centric, with students participating on project
teams. Half of the student’s grade
depends on the results of project work, with each team member receiving the
same team grade. Weekly checks on team
progress provide feedback and guidance on individual and team performance. Students in this course typically come from
5. Identify, formulate, and solve engineering
problems: The primary purpose of this course is to
enhance the student’s capacity to identify, formulate, and solve reliability
and failure problems.
6. Understand professional and ethical
responsibility: Engineers and engineering managers have a
professional and ethical responsibility to design and produce reliable products
and services and to be aware of the consequences of component and system
failure. Tools and processes for
developing this understanding are included in the class. Case studies which emphasize this
responsibility are presented and discussed in class.
7. Communicate effectively:
This course is project-centric, with a primary element of the student’s
grade depending on written and oral presentations of results of student team
projects. Presentation practice sessions
with peer feedback will be provided to assist students in improving
communication skills. Grades also depend
on class discussion participation and in-class presentation of homework results
(with peer feedback), which provide additional means for students to practice
oral communication skills.
8. Understand the impact of engineering
solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context:
Failure of systems and components can have significant global economic,
environmental, and societal impact.
Students in the course learn tools and processes for assessing this
impact, and impact assessment is an element of student team projects. Course case studies are selected to emphasize
global, economic, environmental, and societal issues.
9. Recognition of the need for, and an ability
to engage in life-long learning: As a graduate course in the Engineering
Management Program, the primary emphasis in this course is on understanding
basic strengths and weaknesses of techniques, skills, and tools vs. developing
practitioner-level expertise. Throughout
the course, students will be apprised of the need to and opportunities for
extending the basic knowledge, skills, and experience gained in the
course. It is expected that students
will pursue selected topics of special relevance or interest in future learning
environments.
10.
Demonstrate knowledge of contemporary issues: Student team
projects and case studies are selected by the instructor to relate to
significant contemporary issues. Student
team project presentations are expected to highlight the importance of these
issues.
11.
Use the techniques, skills, and tools necessary for engineering practice:
This course provides knowledge, skills, and experience using a wide
variety of analysis and data interpretation techniques and tools that students
will apply to reliability and failure analysis.
As a graduate course in the Engineering Management Program, the primary
emphasis in this course is on understanding basic strengths and weaknesses of
techniques, skills, and tools vs. developing practitioner expertise. Students have the opportunity to apply these
elements to real-world problems through student team projects homework
assignments, and class discussions.