View source for Graceful failure modes

Design should be such that the structure does not fail if one piece fails.

Graceful failure is a concept that includes indications of impending failure, partial failure, etc that causes the humans operating the machine to become aware of the problem. Rather than a sudden catastrophic failure that takes people unaware and causes injury and loss of life, graceful failure lets you down easy and allows for recovery.


See Also:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatigue_%28material%29 Materials Fatigue]
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fault_tolerance#Terminology Fault Tolerance]