Manage Repository Phases

For any FIDES analysis, you will be able to specify different phases that a system or assembly experiences during operation (i.e., define the item's life profile). Some of the component properties (such as applied voltage or power dissipated) can then be defined separately for different phases. The phases themselves also have various properties that will affect the failure rate calculations (such as ambient temperature and environmental pollution).

Tip: Any changes to a saved phase record will be applied automatically to every FIDES analysis where that phase is being used. This is different from using saved pi factor assessments, where the change does not take effect until you take a specific action to update the analysis. (See Update Factors)

This topic describes how to use the Manage Repository Phases window to maintain the list of all phases that are available to be used for any FIDES analysis in the current database. For information about grouping selected phases to specify a life profile, see Manage Phase Sets. For information on using life profiles for each particular system or assembly in a FIDES analysis, see Defining Life Profiles.

To open the Manage Repository Phases window, choose File > Manage Repository > FIDES Settings Manager then click the Phases button.

Tip: Note that you can also access this window while working on a particular FIDES analysis in a prediction folio. Click Manage Repository Phases in the Item Phases or Select Phases window.

In the Manage Repository Phases window, each row in the table describes the operating conditions and other details for a particular phase. In most cases, the column name is self-explanatory (e.g., the Ambient Temperature (°C) column allows you to enter the surrounding temperature that the assembly will experience during the given phase). Note the following:

If you select the check box in the Default column, the phase will be assigned by default to each new FIDES standard item that you create in this database.
The Calendar Time (Hrs) is the amount of time that the assembly will operate in the phase during a single year. When you specify the life profile for a particular system or assembly, it is recommended that the calendar times of all phases sum to 8,760 hours. If the sum of the calendar times for all phases is less than 8,760 hours, the model assumes that there is no damage to the component due to any type of stress for the time equal to the difference between 8,760 hours and the sum of the calendar times for all phases.
The On/Off column indicates whether the assembly is operating (on) or dormant (off) during the phase.
According to the FIDES standard, the Pi Application factor "represents the influence of the usage environment for application of the product containing the item. For example, exposure to a mechanical overstress is a priori more important in electronics integrated into a mobile system than in a fixed station system. This factor is variable depending on the life profile phase."
- This must be a number between 0 and 10, where a higher value indicates more unfavorable conditions.
- You can enter the value directly or click the Select Pi Factor icon to link this phase with a saved pi factor assessment. (See Select Pi Factor.)

The ribbon at the top of the window provides the following commands:

Add Phase adds a new row to the bottom of the table so you can set the properties for a new phase.

Duplicate Phase creates an exact copy of the phase that is currently selected.

Delete Phase deletes the phase that is currently selected, if it has not already been assigned to any FIDES system or assembly in the database. If a phase is already in use, it cannot be deleted.

Import Phases allows you to import phases from another database. (See Import Phases.)

Send to Excel exports the current table to a new Excel spreadsheet.

Category allows you to filter the list to display only the phases that are assigned to the selected category. (See Manage FIDES Categories.)

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