Reliability
and Availability Simulation Software
AvSim+ Version 9.0
New
Features for AvSim+ Version 9 can be found here.
 Powerful
Reliability and Availability Simulation
AvSim+ is a powerful
availability and reliability simulator capable of analysing complex
and dependent
systems efficiently and accurately.
AvSim’s algorithms have been developed and enhanced over the
past 15 years by Isograph’s experienced team of reliability engineers,
mathematicians and programmers. AvSim+ capabilities extend far beyond
analysing the availability and reliability of complex systems. The
program’s Weibull, spares tracking (through multiple echelon
levels) and task management functions allow users to implement a Reliability-Centred
Maintenance (RCM) strategy aimed at reducing costs, optimising availability
and managing planned maintenance tasks.
In AvSim+ the logical interaction of failures, and how they affect
system performance, are modelled using a network diagram or fault tree.
These diagrams may be used to model failure and success or levels of
throughput in the system. Consequences are then assigned to any level
of the logical diagram to indicate the effects of failures (financial,
operational, safety and environmental). Labour, spares and failure
data may be imported or directly entered into the program together
with any operational phase information and task group assignments.
AvSim+ will then analyse your system using efficient Monte Carlo simulation
algorithms to provide availability and reliability parameters, life
cycle costs, importance rankings etc. You may also optimise spare holdings
and planned maintenance intervals.
All this information may be reported in standard (or custom) graphs
and text reports or exported to your database or spreadsheet application.
Some of the program's
capabilities are listed below :
- Simulation ‘Watch’ facility
for checking your system and spares echelon models
- Multiple-system spares tracking for fleet modelling
- Interactive
construction of network or fault tree diagrams
- Sub-system
blocks allowing automatic network diagram pagination
- Blocks can
incorporate bitmap pictures for convenient identification
- Pagination
facilities for large fault trees
- Append projects
created by different users
- Attributes
of diagram objects can be edited via easy-to-use dialogs
- User control
of scaling, shifting and font selection
- Data verification
for consistency checks
- Simulation
of production capacity levels with target cost penalties
- Standby sub-systems
modelled
- Modelling of
spares dependencies and stock levels
- Models recycling
of spares via a repair shop
- Spares optimisation
facilities provided
- Batch ordering
of spares with discounting
- Modelling of
maintenance queuing
- Switching Delays
Modelled
- Opportunistic
maintenance and 'hold for repair' modelling
- Exponential,
lognormal, normal and Weibull distributions for failure
- Lognormal,
normal, Weibull and exponential distributions
for
repair
- Directly analyse
historical data with the Weibull Analysis
facility
- Models ageing
and effectiveness of planned maintenance
- Scheduled maintenance
interval optimisation
- Define financial,
safety, operational
and environmental
consequences
- Models changing
network and fault
tree configurations
during different
phases
- Phased time
profiles
- Comprehensive
reports interfacing
with
Microsoft
Office products
- Graphs, plots,
pie
charts and
time profile
histograms
- Import
and export
facilities
- Interfaces
with
other
reliability
products
- Models
the
effects
of condition
alarms
- P-f
curves
for
inspections
and
condition alarms
- Tracks
equipment
usage
and
costs
- Extended
outage
penalty
costs
modelled
- Maintenance
activities
may
be organised
into
task
groups
- Import
RCM
FMECA
data
directly
from
RCMCost
projects
- NOT
logic capability
- Individual
labour
task
time
factors
- Importance
rankings
for
spares
- Spare
volume
calculations
- Phased
bi
and
tri
Weibull
facility
- Batch
analysis
of
Weibull
datasets
- Report
Generator
Wizard
- Statistical
error
indicators
Quickly Build Diagrams with Drag and Drop
AvSim+ allows you to quickly construct
fault tree or network diagrams (reliability block diagrams) using drag
and drop facilities. Simply choose the preferred method to represent
the failure logic of your system from the tabs at the top of the AvSim+
window and place the fault tree or block symbols in your diagram. If
you are using fault trees then AvSim+ will automatically organise the
diagram for you – you simply tell it the logical connections !
If you are using networks simply place the blocks on the screen, make
the logical connections, and the program will automatically deduce the
failure logic of the system. Whichever method you choose there is a
powerful pagination facility which allows you to organise large and
complex projects.
Comprehensive Failure and Maintenance Models
Once you have defined the logical fault
tree or network structure of your project you can define comprehensive
failure and maintenance models to represent the performance of components
within your system. These models could be simple failure and repair
models or they could represent complex dependencies including ageing,
spares requirements, labour availability, operational phases, standby
arrangements, etc. For new users the Failure Model Wizard will
allow you to build new failure models by answering a few simple questions.
Directly Analyse Historical Data
Historical data
(times to failure and times to repair) is automatically analysed using
the Weibull Analysis facility and connected directly through to component
failure models. This allows users to update their historical data records
and almost immediately see the effects on predicted system performance.
Check
the System Model with the Simulation ‘Watch’ Facility
The AvSim+ Simulation ‘Watch’ facility
allows users to check the logic of their system model by tracking
events during a simulation
and observing the effects on system availability or throughput. Spares
may also be traced as they move between echelon levels using this
facility.
Determine Lifetime Costs
AvSim+ allows you to model costs as well
as availability and reliability. Labour, spares and other miscellaneous
costs are taken into account during each simulation. In addition, consequences
may be assigned to system failures allowing the cost of failures to
be included in the calculation.
Safety, Environmental and Operational Impacts
Modelled
By allocating safety, environmental and
operational consequences to selected system failures you will be able
to determine the frequency and duration of each type of consequence.
Severity values may be assigned to a given consequence allowing safety,
environmental and operational criticality values to be determined over
the lifetime of the system.
Optimise Spares Holdings and
Scheduled Maintenance
AvSim+ provides
facilities to allow the user to optimise spares holding at site and/or
depot. In addition AvSim+ will automatically determine optimum scheduled
maintenance intervals.
Powerful Monte Carlo Simulator
The AvSim+ Monte Carlo simulator engine
is the result of 7 years development during the evolution of the AvSim+
product. The simulator enables AvSim+ to model complex redundancies,
common failures and component dependencies which cannot be modelled
using standard analytical techniques. Some typical dependencies which
can strongly effect the availability and reliability of a system are
given below.
- Warm and cold standby arrangements
- Queuing for labour
- Queuing for spares from site, depot and
factory
Sophisticated Reports, Diagrams and Graphs
The AvSim+ Report Generator allows you
to select from a range of standard reports or quickly design your own
customised reports. You can design your own headers and footers, choose
your own fonts, insert your own pictures, sort and filter data and much
more !
Paginated network or fault tree diagram
reports are automatically produced and can be transferred to other packages
such as Microsoft Word in the form of Windows metafiles.
You may also choose from a wide range of
sophisticated scientific graphs and charts or create your own graphs
and charts. You can display multiple graphs on the same page and easily
modify scales, legends, titles etc.
Import and Export
AvSim+ provides a flexible import/export
facility which allows the user to transfer data to and from Microsoft
Access databases, Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and text delimited and
fixed length files.
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