UNIVERSITY of SAN CARLOS TECHNOLOGICAL CENTER

Nasipit, Talamban, 6000 Cebu City, Philippines

An FMEA Analysis on
Pressure Cooker basic kitchen equipment

Submitted By:
Chua, Felixter Leone See
Ong, Arthur Louie Yu
Pacio, Lance Brandon Mansueto
Vasnani, Neelesh Naresh
BSIE 3rd year students

Submitted to:
Mr. Ritchie Gimena, CIE
Department of Industrial Engineering

Submitted On:
January 27, 2015

Introduction:
What are Pressure Cookers?
Pressure cookers are the fastest way to cook delicious meals. Pressure cookers are widely
used in Europe (especially food-loving France and in Spain where they are called an olla express),
Asia, South America and India and have been making a resurgence in the U.S. and Canada with
over one million in use in the U.S.
Pressure-cooking is a cooking method that uses steam sealed in a pressure cooker, which
is a special airtight cooking pot. Sealing a liquid such as water, wine, stock or broth in a pressure
cooker traps the vapor that rises from the liquid. This in turn raises the pressure inside the
pressure cooker along with the maximum temperature that the liquid can reach. The increased
temperature and pressure significantly speed up the cooking process. The pressure infuses the
hot steam into the food. Pressure-cooking can cook foods in 1/3 the ordinary time on average
and often over 10 times faster. Compared to a microwave, the food tastes considerably better
and compared to slow cooker, only takes a fraction of the time.
Parts of a Pressure Cooker

References:

https://fastcooking.ca/pressure_cookers/how_pressure_cookers_work.php
ghttp://granniegeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/parts-of-a-pressure-cooker.jpg

FMEA WORKSHEET - BASIC PRESSURE COOKER

Function

Failure Mode

Effect(s)

Cause(s)

Current Controls

Too much load inside

Specify a load limit

Wear and tear

Use of high quality material

Broken Valve Spring

Design spring to handle

fatigue and corrosion

Corrosion

Use corrosion resistant materials

Faulty Manufacture

Testing and Inspection

Steam would escape

Worn out

Use of high quality rubber

Increase in cooking time

Rough and Improper use

Caution the user to handle with

care through manuals

Manufacturing defect

Testing and Inspection

Overusage

Use of High quality rubber

Contents will spill out

Breaks or bends
Risk of Injury
Handle (used for holding
the pressure cooker)

Burns to user
Absence of Insulation
of heat

A need for another insulating

material to hold it
Steam could burn operator

Remains Open
Increased Cooking time

Safety Valve (stabilizes

steam levels while cooking)
Remains Closed

Potential explosion due to

overpressuring

Cracks
Rubber Ring/ Gasket(keeps steam from
escaping while cooking)
Improper fit or
alignment

Unusuable

Tight dead weight

No whistle sound
(no indicator)

Corrosion(increases friction,
reduces motion/rotation)

Use corrosion resistant materials

Overpressurization, which may

cause explosion

Debris in holes

Periodic Cleaning

Overcooking

Deformed pipe

Perform Hardness tests

to avoid this

Whistle ( used to monitor pressure

levels) to determine how much the food is
cooked)
Clogged up vent pipe holes