This is a first On Thursday, 2023-04-27, ISO published ISO 13849-1:2023, the 4th edition of the dominant functional safety standard for machinery. Usually, I would be the first to tell you that you should buy the standard as quickly as possible and start using it immediately. Today is not a normal day. As Command Module…
Read MoreUnderstanding safety functions: Fluctuations, loss and restoration of power sources
Control systems must be protected against fluctuations and power loss, whether electrical or fluidic. Fluctuations and losses are well defined in IEC, IEEE and ISO standards. Careful design of electrical systems, including the use of UPSs for electrical control systems and the careful design of pneumatic supply systems, including the proper sizing of pneumatic accumulators for compressed air-powered logic, is essential.
Understanding safety functions: Pressure or temperature
Pressure and temperature are important safety-related parameters. The two parameters are closely linked in systems where gases or vapours are present, with behaviour governed by the combined gas laws. The temperature is also critical in mechanical systems that can overheat, like motors or bearings. Monitoring temperature or pressure requires the correct selection of instruments.
Read MoreUnderstanding safety functions: Safe speed and safe standstill
In this post, I’ll discuss two safety-related parameters: safe speed and safe standstill. Speed control is a very common machine function. Conveyors, mixers, pumps, and many other applications rely on variable-speed drives. Some speed parameters are also safety-related because variations in speed can increase the risk to workers. See this post for more information on…
Read MoreUnderstanding safety functions: Response time
This post deepens the discussion of safety-related parameters. Safety functions are control functions whose failure causes an immediate increase in risk. ISO 13849-1 [1] defines several common safety functions to develop safety-related control systems. In this post, I will discuss the response time safety-related parameter.
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