Wear-Out Failure
A wear-out failure occurs when age, cycles, fatigue, erosion, corrosion, or material degradation progressively increases failure probability.
What this term means in maintenance
A wear-out failure occurs when age, cycles, fatigue, erosion, corrosion, or material degradation progressively increases failure probability.
Examples of wear-out mechanisms
Examples include:
- Bearing fatigue
- Seal wear
- Belt deterioration
- Corrosion thinning
- Insulation aging
- Valve-seat erosion
- Battery degradation
- Repeated thermal cycling
Practical example
A pump seal shows predictable deterioration after a large number of operating hours under stable conditions.
Maintenance response
Possible controls include:
- Time-based replacement
- Meter-based replacement
- Condition monitoring
- Overhaul
- Life-extension work
- Redesign
Evidence
History should show whether failure probability genuinely increases with age or usage.
Common mistake
Assuming every repeated failure is wear-out can lead to unnecessary replacement when the real cause is installation, operation, or contamination.
Related concepts
Related maintenance terms
Keep exploring connected CMMS, reliability, and maintenance planning terms.
Bathtub Curve
The bathtub curve is a reliability model showing early-life failures, a relatively stable useful-life period, and increasing wear-out failures.
Remaining Useful Life
Remaining Useful Life is an estimate of how long an asset or component can continue performing acceptably before repair, replacement, or failure.
Preventive Maintenance Frequency
Preventive maintenance frequency is the time, usage, condition, or event interval at which a maintenance task becomes due.
Glossary FAQs
- What is wear-out failure?
Failure caused by increasing degradation from age, cycles, fatigue, erosion, corrosion, or material wear.
- What maintenance strategies apply?
Time-based or meter-based replacement, condition monitoring, overhaul, or redesign.
- Does every asset wear out predictably?
No. Failure history must confirm age-related behavior.