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Sacrificial part

Component engineered to fail first to protect the rest of the device

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
1 min read
Source updated January 13, 2023

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, thus breaking the serial connection and protecting other parts of the system downstream.

01Examples

Examples of sacrificial parts include:

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Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Sacrificial part”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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