Failure mechanisms of load-sharing complex systems

Abstract

We investigate the failure mechanisms of load-sharing complex systems. The system is composed of multiple nodes or components whose failures are determined based on the interaction of their respective strengths and loads (or capacity and demand, respectively) as well as the ability of a component to share its load with its neighbors when needed. We focus on two distinct mechanisms to model the interaction between components' strengths and loads. The failure mechanisms of these two models demonstrate temporal scaling phenomena, phase transitions, and multiple distinct failure modes excited by extremal dynamics. For critical ranges of parameters the models demonstrate power-law and exponential failure patterns. We identify the similarities and differences between the two mechanisms and the implications of our results for the failure mechanisms of complex systems in the real world.