A method to quantitatively justify and relate shielding requirements and design margins to hardware requirements [avionics]

A methodology was developed and utilized for justifying to management, in a quantifiable and understandable way, the need for shielding electronic parts and design margins. The approach related the probability of part failure due to radiation to an associated part reliability. The part reliability was then correlated to an overall subsystem reliability and assessed against the subsystems´ requirements. The approach is applicable to any environment whose consequences are cumulative. Consequently, effects resulting from displacement damage can be treated in a similar manner. The results are of interest in connection with the consideration of total dose impacts on electronics in the analysis of a spacecraft´s response to the radiation environments encountered on orbit. The proposed approach is applicable to any environment whose consequences are cumulative. Consequently, effects resulting from displacement damage can be treated in a similar manner