A Hardware Accelerated Semi Analytic Approach for Fault Trees with Repairable Components

Fault tree analysis of complex systems with repairable components can easily be quite complicated and usually requires significant computer time and power despite significant simplifications. Invariably, software-based solutions, particularly those involving Monte Carlo simulation methods, have been used in practice to compute the top event probability. However, these methods require significant computer power and time. In this paper, a hardware-based solution is presented for solving fault trees. The methodology developed uses a new semi analytic approach embedded in a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) using accelerators. Unlike previous attempts, the methodology developed properly handles repairable components in fault trees. Results from a specially written software-based simulation program confirm the accuracy and validate the efficacy of the hardware-oriented approach.