Safety PLCs and Functional Safety Architecture

MEC 410 delves into the critical aspects of functional safety engineering as applied to automated machinery and industrial processes. The curriculum covers fundamental concepts of risk assessment, hazard analysis, and the implementation of safety functions using specialized control systems. We will explore key international standards, including ISO 13849 for Performance Levels (PL) and IEC 62061 for Safety Integrity Levels (SIL), understanding how to achieve and verify required safety classifications. Topics include the architecture of safety-rated controllers, redundant control schemes, fault tolerance, and the application of safety components like light curtains and dual-channel monitoring circuits. Through theoretical instruction and practical laboratory exercises, students will gain the skills necessary to develop robust and compliant safety solutions.

Prerequisites

MEC 340

Course outline

Lectures, virtual labs, and graded assignments — completed in your browser.

01Lesson 1: Introduction to Functional Safety and Risk Assessmentlecture

02Lesson 2: Overview of International Safety Standards: ISO 13849 and IEC 62061lecture

03Lesson 3: Safety Functions, Categories, and Performance Levels (PL) for Machinerylecture

04Hands-on Lab: Analyzing Safety-Related Control Systems and Determining PLlab

05Lesson 5: Safety Integrity Levels (SIL) and Their Application in Process Controllecture

06Lesson 6: Safety System Architectures: Redundancy, Diversity, and Fault Tolerancelecture

07Lesson 7: Introduction to Safety-Rated Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs)lecture

08Hands-on Lab: Programming Basic Safety Functions with a Safety-Rated Controllerlab

09Lesson 9: Safety Input Devices: Emergency Stops, Interlocks, and Enabling Deviceslecture

10Lesson 10: Presence-Sensing Safety Devices: Light Curtains, Scanners, and Matslecture

11Hands-on Lab: Implementing and Validating Light Curtain Safety Circuitslab

12Lesson 12: Dual-Channel Control Circuits, Monitoring, and Diagnosticslecture

13Lesson 13: Safety System Validation, Verification, and Documentationlecture

14Capstone Service Project: Designing and Documenting a Functional Safety Systemassignment

Syllabus

["Week 1: Lesson 1: Introduction to Functional Safety and Risk Assessment","Week 2: Lesson 2: Overview of International Safety Standards: ISO 13849 and IEC 62061","Week 3: Lesson 3: Safety Functions, Categories, and Performance Levels (PL) for Machinery","Week 4: Hands-on Lab: Analyzing Safety-Related Control Systems and Determining PL","Week 5: Lesson 5: Safety Integrity Levels (SIL) and Their Application in Process Control","Week 6: Lesson 6: Safety System Architectures: Redundancy, Diversity, and Fault Tolerance","Week 7: Lesson 7: Introduction to Safety-Rated Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs)","Week 8: Hands-on Lab: Programming Basic Safety Functions with a Safety-Rated Controller","Week 9: Lesson 9: Safety Input Devices: Emergency Stops, Interlocks, and Enabling Devices","Week 10: Lesson 10: Presence-Sensing Safety Devices: Light Curtains, Scanners, and Mats","Week 11: Hands-on Lab: Implementing and Validating Light Curtain Safety Circuits","Week 12: Lesson 12: Dual-Channel Control Circuits, Monitoring, and Diagnostics","Week 13: Lesson 13: Safety System Validation, Verification, and Documentation","Week 14: Capstone Service Project: Designing and Documenting a Functional Safety System"]