  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 to
the failure mechanisms of complex systems in the real world.
