Functional dependencies modelling for aircraft level risk analysis
Our work links three domains: safety, functional analysis and model based engineering. In orderto assist preliminary risk analysis, we have proposed to exploit models developed for functionalanalysis. These models describe dependencies between functions that have to be performed duringa flight phase. To exploit these models, we have introduced the notion of efficiency thatmeasures the degree of contribution of a function to the nominal realisation of a flight phase.This notion is useful for risk analysis because it enables the formalisation of various cases offunction failures and the evaluation of the level of degradation of a flight phase in case offunction failures. We have proposed to annotate functional analysis models with informationrelated with function efficiency and potential function failures. Following the principles of modeltransformation, we have studied the means to produce as automatically as possible models thatcould be used to support risk analysis starting from annotated models. Produced models aredescribed with the AltaRica language, they can be analysed with the tools associated with thislanguage in order to evaluate the effect of function failures or to search for the most criticalcombinations of failures. The approach was applied in order to analyse the risks associated withthe functions used during an aircraft take-off.