Modeling failure propagation to analyze the vulnerability of the complex electromechanical systems under network attacks

Since the complex electromechanical system (CMES) is a complex integration of multiple minimum maintenance units (MMUs), a single faulty MMU can trigger multi-step failures and eventually damage a substantial portion of the CMES. To investigate the failure propagation process and analyze the impact of the CMES under MMU attacks, we first abstract the system as a directed network composed of MMUs, machine-electricity-information connections, and functional properties. Subsequently, a fault propagation model is constructed based on the fault occurrence probability and matrix transformation, which considers the topological and functional attributes of the system. Then, we build the attack graphs to evaluate the faulty edges on the system’s vulnerability and propose some vulnerable indices based on the node attack strategies to quantify the attack impact of the malfunctioning nodes on the CMES network. Finally, a bogie system of the high-speed train is selected as a case study to verify the validity of the proposed method. Based on the findings, we can clarify the failure propagation behavior and quantify the impact of the faulty nodes and edges on the CMES network. Furthermore, the critical connections and nodes that significantly impact system vulnerability can be identified. Hence, our work can provide guiding significance for developing maintenance strategies to reduce losses and optimize the management scheme.