147 Weakest Link
An element designed to fail in order to protect more important elements from harm.
• Weakest links work in two ways: halting systems when they fail (e.g., electrical fuse), or activating mitigation systems when they fail (e.g., fire suppression system).
• Properly designed, the weakest link in a chain is the most important link.
• Weakest links predictably and reliably fail first.
• Weakest links are applicable to systems with cascading fault conditions—i.e., when there is a chain of events that can be interrupted.
• Consider adding weakest links to systems where failures occur as cascading events. Test and verify that weakest links only fail under the appropriate, predefined failure conditions.
See Also Errors • Factor of Safety ...
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