rikkoutumiset

Rikkoutumiset is the plural form of rikkoutuminen, a Finnish term used to describe events in which something breaks, a component fails, or a system breaks down. The term is common in technical fields such as engineering, construction, manufacturing, and logistics, but it also appears in everyday language when referring to damage or malfunction.

Etymology and sense: The word derives from the verb rikkoa, meaning to break, with the nominalizing suffix -utuminen to indicate the process or event, and the plural -iset. Rikkoutumiset denote occurrences or incidents of breakage or failure, rather than the ongoing process itself.

Contexts and manifestations: Rikkoutumiset can refer to physical breakage of materials (for example glass, ceramics, or metal components), fatigue-induced fractures, or structural failures (such as a beam or joint giving way). They also describe functional failures of machinery, equipment, or infrastructure, as well as service interruptions or outages in information systems. In medical contexts, bone fractures are usually described with specific terms like murtuma, but rikkoutumiset may be used in broader or lay-language discussions of damage.

Measurement and significance: In reliability engineering and risk assessment, rikkoutumiset are recorded as failure events and analyzed by cause (wear, overload, manufacturing defect), mechanism, severity, and frequency. Tracking rikkoutumiset supports maintenance planning, quality control, and safety analyses.

See also: rikkoutuminen, rikkominen, vaurio, katkeama, murtuma.