8.1 Overview
A propagated failure with global effect (PFGE) that originates from a system component causes the failure of the entire system [1]. As one type of common‐cause failures (CCFs), PFGEs have been investigated intensively in literature (see, e.g. [2–6]). Examples of causes for PFGEs include imperfect coverage (IPC) and destructive effects. Specifically, as discussed in Chapter 3, due to the IPC, a component fault, if not being detected or located successfully by the system recovery mechanism, may propagate and cause an overall system failure even when adequate redundancy remains. Certain types of failures originating from a system component can cause destructive effects on other components, for example, fire, explosion, overheating, blackout, or short circuit may incapacitate or destroy all other system components, causing the failure of the entire system.
However, it is not necessarily always the truth that a PFGE causes the entire system failure, particularly...