Sacrificial part

A sacrificial part is a part of a machine or product that is intentionally engineered to fail under excess mechanical stress, electrical stress, or other unexpected and dangerous situations. The sacrificial part is engineered to fail first, and thus protect other parts of the system.

Examples

Examples of sacrificial parts include:

• Electrical fuses
• Over-pressure burst disks
• Mechanical shear pins
• Galvanic anodes
• Pyrotechnic fastener
• Fusible plug

See also

• Factor of safety – Factor by which an engineered system's capacity is higher than the expected load to ensure safety in case of error or uncertainty
• Frangibility
• Overengineering