factor of safety
Noun
Meaning
the ratio of the breaking stress of a structure to the estimated maximum stress in ordinary use
Source: WordNetSynonyms
Hypernyms
Examples
A factor of safety of 1.5 for static conditions is commonly used in practice.
A factor of safety greater than one generally implies a stable slope, failure of which should not occur assuming the slope is undisturbed.
Stability is ultimately decided by a factor of safety equal to the ratio of shear strength to the equilibrium stresses along the failure surface.
The qualification tests were used to validate computational models, and compliance with the required 1.4 factor of safety was shown by analysis.