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Mechanical Engineering vocabulary · Testing and Quality

Root cause analysis

Meaning in mechanical engineering, with examples

nounCommon term

In mechanical engineering, root cause analysis means: A structured way of finding the basic reason why a failure or problem happened, so that the real cause can be removed and the problem does not come back.

In Turkish: kök neden analizi

How it is used

Used in quality, maintenance and engineering after failures and customer complaints. Often shortened to RCA. Common tools are the 5 Whys and the fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram, and the results often go into an 8D report. Teams carry out or conduct a root cause analysis.

Example sentences

  1. The root cause analysis showed that the bolts were never torqued, not that they were too weak.

  2. Replacing the bearing is a quick fix; we still need a root cause analysis.

Common collocations

  • carry out a root cause analysis
  • 5 Whys
  • fishbone diagram
  • 8D report
  • corrective action
  • failureThe state in which a part or machine can no longer do its job, for example because it has cracked, worn out, leaked or stopped working.
  • troubleshootTo find the cause of a problem in a machine or system step by step and fix it, for example by checking signals, parts and settings one after another.
  • inspectionChecking a part, product or machine against a drawing, specification or standard by looking at it, measuring it or testing it.
  • break downTo stop working because of a fault. It is used for machines and vehicles; the noun breakdown means a failure that stops the equipment.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Testing and Quality

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