(sec_mech_handbook)= # Part 4 - Mechanical This part introduces different inputs and methods for mechanical reliability prediction. It presents elementary reliability modelling of mechanical items. The applicability of existing mechanical reliability data sources to space is low. This is why a strong effort was put on the identification and modelling of relevant {term}`failure mechanisms ` and their probabilistic representation in a {term}`physics of failure `-based reliability prediction approach. Moreover, an approach for Bayesian updating with test data or in orbit return has been developed, allowing to improve the modelling with new data. This part contains the following sections: ```{tableofcontents} ```