Failure and Failure Event Definitions

Windchill Risk and Reliability Desktop Help > Windchill FRACAS > FRACAS Theory > Key FRACAS Terms > Failure and Failure Event Definitions

According to the Failure Reporting, Analysis and Corrective Action System (FRACAS). Application Guidelines, defining what constitutes a failure is perhaps the most critical aspect of implementing an effective FRACAS. This document recommends that the definition for a failure include degradation in performance due to occurrences such as failure of parts, detuning, misalignment, and maladjustment that are often classified as faults.

The following table provides the definitions given in this document for a failure and failure events.

Terms	Definitions
Failure	An event in which an item does not perform one or more of its required functions within the specified limits under specified conditions. A failure can either be catastrophic (total loss of function) or out-of-tolerance (degraded function beyond specified limits).
Failure Symptom	Any circumstance, event, or condition associated with the failure that indicates its existence or occurrence. Failure symptoms can include a temporary, intermittent indication of failure that cannot be duplicated.
Failure Effect	The consequence that a particular failure mode has upon the operation, function, or status of a product or service.
Failure Mode	The type of defect contributing to a failure, the consequence of the failure (such as how the failure manifests), or the manner in which the failure is observed.
Failure Mechanism	The process that results in the failure; the process of degradation or chain of events leading to and resulting in a particular failure mode.
Failure Cause	The circumstance that induces or activates a failure mechanism, such as defective soldering, design weakness, assembly techniques, software error, manufacturing process, clerical error, and more.