wearout
Wearout is the final phase of a component’s life in reliability engineering, during which the probability of failure increases as time or usage accumulates. It is part of the commonly described bathtub curve, which also includes an initial high-failure period (infant mortality) and a middle period of relatively constant failure rate (normal life). In the wearout phase, aging, material degradation, and cumulative damage raise the hazard rate.
Causes of wearout failures vary by component but typically include fatigue and wear of materials, corrosion,
Modeling and measurement often involve analyzing the hazard rate, which tends to rise during wearout. Reliability
Management strategies focus on extending useful life or mitigating wearout risk. These include preventive replacement schedules,
Common examples of wearout failures occur in mechanical bearings, gears, and tires, where wear or fatigue increases
See also: bathtub curve, reliability engineering, maintenance strategy, prognostics.