An application of fuzzy logic to reliability

Fuzzy logic is introduced as a tool for enhancing reliability efforts by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of failure database analysis. Its scope is limited to an application in which a computer identifies field failures that may be subject to a single corrective action. Humans use combinations of different words to describe the same symptoms. A computer was provided with a thesaurus index to identify different words that are synonymous. It was programmed to find combinations of synonyms that match failure symptoms. Corrective actions can be taken to reduce the frequency of common failures. Fuzzy logic can also be applied to controlling processes. A test of the fuzzy logic system resulted in the conclusion that it represents an improvement over systems using standard military failure codes