Fault Tree Analysis and Robust Engineering Software
While the FTA method can be described in theory, applying it to complex systems requires specialized software.
Knowllence’s Robust Engineering Software ensures methodological consistency and digital continuity throughout the design process.
With Robust Engineering Software, you can easily structure, manage, and share your data:
- Events and scenarios from Preliminary Risk Analyses (PRAs)
- Technical architecture elements (BOMs, systems, components, etc.) to calculate failure rates
- FMEA data: failure modes, causes, and more
- Seamless integration via connector or API into your database or calculation engine using Binary Decision Diagrams (BDD)
More than just a tool, Knowllence provides a holistic approach that guarantees interoperability, quality, reliability, and maintainability from the very start of your design.
Fault Trees (FTA): A Pillar of Reliability and Safety Engineering
In high-stakes industries like automotive, aerospace, and space, mastering technical risks is essential for top industrial performance. Among the most trusted methods in systems and reliability engineering, Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) plays a central role.
Definition of a Fault Tree
A fault tree, also called a failure tree or fault tree diagram, is a structured method used to analyze the causes of system failures. In French industry, the English term Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) is commonly used.
A Fault Tree is a top-down, deductive analysis method used to identify and model all combinations of failures that may lead to an undesired event, known as the Top Event (such as a critical failure, accident, or loss of system function).
This method relies on a tree-structured graphical representation using logical gates (AND, OR, K-out-of-N, etc.) to link basic events to intermediate events, up to the top event.
Developed in the 1960s for aerospace and space programs, Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) has become an essential method for understanding and managing complex systems. It is particularly valuable for systems with redundancies, intricate interactions, and strict environmental constraints.
What is Fault Tree Analysis used for?
Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) achieves several key objectives:
• Understand failure mechanisms by identifying technical, human, or organizational causes.
• Quantify the likelihood of critical events using reliability data.
• Highlight critical paths and minimal cut sets that contribute most to risk.
• Support smarter decision-making by directing design, safety, and maintenance efforts toward the most effective actions.
Unlike purely qualitative approaches, FTA allows for quantitative risk assessment, making it particularly well-suited to the regulatory and standardization requirements of the automotive, aerospace, and space industries.
Who uses Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)?
Fault Tree Analysis is used by a wide range of industrial professionals:
• Design offices and systems engineers, to secure architectures from the early design phases.
• RAMS and reliability experts, to demonstrate compliance with safety objectives.
• Quality and certification managers, to meet regulatory and client requirements.
• Project managers and technical directors, to balance performance, cost, and acceptable risk levels.
Today, FTA is applied throughout the entire product lifecycle, from design to operation and maintenance.
From Failure Modeling to Operations: The Key Link Between FTA and CMMS
Fault trees deliver their full value only when connected to the operational reality of systems. During the operational phase, CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management Systems) play a crucial role in turning safety analyses into concrete maintenance actions.
BASSETTI Group solutions leverage field experience, failure history, interventions, and reliability indicators (MTBF, MTTR) to structure and optimize both corrective and preventive maintenance.
By linking scenarios derived from fault trees to real operational data, it becomes possible to validate design assumptions, identify recurring failures, and prioritize maintenance actions based on their impact on safety and availability.
This seamless integration between upstream engineering (FTA) and downstream maintenance (CMMS) ensures sustainable risk management throughout the system lifecycle.
An Integrated and Sustainable Approach to Risk Management
By combining proven methods, specialized software, and recognized standards, fault trees become more than just a study deliverable—they become a powerful tool for managing system reliability and safety.
Knowllence’s Robust Engineering Software provides design offices with a practical solution to today’s challenges:
- Increasing system complexity
- Strengthened regulatory requirements
- The need for traceability and capitalization of technical knowledge
In demanding industrial environments, working on fault trees with robust, interoperable tools is no longer optional—it is a key factor for sustainable competitiveness.