Sacrificial part

A sacrificial part is a part of a machine or product that is intentionally engineered to fail under excess mechanical stress, electrical stress, or other unexpected and dangerous situations. The sacrificial part is engineered to fail first, thus breaking the serial connection and protecting other parts of the system downstream.

Examples
Examples of sacrificial parts include:
 * Electrical fuses
 * Over-pressure burst disks
 * Mechanical shear pins
 * Galvanic anodes
 * Pyrotechnic fastener
 * Fusible plug
 * Some leader lines used in angling