Tolerance analysis of a wiper blade using the probabilistic approach

Engineers are aware that uncertainties in the dimension of manufactured products cannot be avoided, i.e. mechanical components manufactured using the same tools and the same raw materials have slightly different shapes; and their dimensions are also different from the designer's request. Tolerance analysis offers a rational framework to study such uncertainties, and allows guaranteeing that the quality associated with the production remains acceptable. This quality is quantified by estimating the defect probability, which is often expressed in parts per million. In this contribution, the probabilistic approach is used, and the dimensions of the components are modeled using random variables. A reliability analysis is then performed to estimate the probability of manufacturing a component which does not meet its functional requirement. The procedure described previously is applied to an industrial problem; the method is developed in collaboration with Valeo Wiper Systems