Fail-safe - definition
Fail-safe - definition
Fail-safe, referred to as fail-safe, refers to the concept of designing engineered systems in which a potential failure or loss of functionality results in the transition of a device, component or entire system to a state that minimises risk to people, the environment or infrastructure. Fail-safe mechanisms are an integral part of safety engineering and are used in areas such as industrial automation, rail and air transport, electrical engineering, nuclear power, robotics, information systems and medicine.
The assumption of fail-safe operation is that in the event of an error, power interruption, control signal disconnection or exceeding of limit parameters, the system automatically activates protective mechanisms, e.g. closes a valve, shuts down the power supply, initiates emergency procedures or sets the actuator to the default position. The implementation of fail-safe requires an in-depth hazard analysis (e.g. FMEA, HAZOP) and consideration of redundancy, passive material safety and fault tolerance.
In digital systems fail-safe can be realised through fault detection and self-repair algorithms, hardware watchdogs or data line shorting circuits. In contrast to fail-operational strategies, fail-safe does not guarantee maintenance of functionality, but ensures that safety is maintained as a priority.
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