Page 304 - Root Cause Failure Analysis

292 Root Cause Failure Analysis

angstrom A unit of length equal to 100 millionth (10-8) of
a centimeter.
annotation An explanatory note.
assumption Describes unconfirmed or perceived factors that
may have contributed to an event; used when
confirmed qualifiers are unavailable.
axial Of, on, around, or along an axis (straight line about
which an object rotates) or center of rotation.
backlash Amount by which a gear tooth space exceeds the
thickness of the engaging tooth on the operating
pitch circles.
back pressure Pressure due to a force that is operating in a
direction opposite to that being considered, such
as that of a fluid flow.
baghouse The large chamber or room for holding bag
filters used to filter gas streams.
bearing A machine element that supports a part, such as
a shaft, that rotates, slides, or oscillates in or on
it. Three major types are radial or journal, thrust,
and guide bearings.
blower A fan that operates where the resistance to gas
flow is predominantly downstream of the fan.

boundary condition Any condition that marks or describes a limit or
a bound.
brake horsepower The horsepower developed by an engine as
measured by the force applied to a friction brake
or by an absorption dynamometer applied to the
shaft or flywheel.
catastrophic failure A sudden failure without warning, as opposed to
degradation failure, that generally prevents the
satisfactory performance of an entire assembly
or system.

cavitation Formation of gas- or vapor-filled cavities within
liquids.
centrifugal force An outward pseudo-force in a reference frame
that is rotating with respect to an inertial
reference frame. The pseudo-force is equal and
opposite to the centripetal force that acts on a
particle stationary in the rotating frame.