MADE 3.9.1 User Manual > Modelling > Failure Diagram > Failure Concepts

Failure Concepts

Failure Concept Type	Symbol	Description
Cause	[Image: failure_cause_medium.png]	The fundamental reason for a failure mode, which may see the physical degradation or process leading to a failure mode. A cause can relate to design, manufacture, environmental, operational or maintenance actions or an input flow that exceeds specified limits.
Mechanism	[Image: failure_mechanism_medium.png]	The chemical, electrical, mechanical or software processes which cause physical degradation of a system element and results in a fault.
Fault	[Image: failure_fault_medium.png]	Commonly used as a synonym for failure mode, however in MADE the term fault refers specifically to the physically degraded state of a system element (static) or a change in its behaviour (dynamic) that which will result in a failure mode.
Symptom	[Image: failure_symptom_medium.png]	The response of a failed system element that can be used to detect a failure mode, or a loss generated by a failure process that can be used to detect a failure mode.