Rules for Automating Failure Modes and Effects Analysis of Electrical Connectors and Wiring

A bent pin or shorted/open wire analysis is sometimes required on electrical connectors and harnesses in new equipment designed for mission-critical or safety-critical systems. The list of possible failures becomes very large as the number of conductors grows, and the tedious, repetitive nature of the task can result in many human errors. However, rules to simplify the analysis can be developed, and a software tool can apply these rules to automate the tedious parts of the effort. A software tool's speed also makes it feasible to make more precise predictions about failures of individual conductors.