Deliberate technology phase-out is being recognised as a viable policy option to weaken incumbent socio-technical configurations. At the same time, phase-out as a phenomenon has not been the focus of much attention in innovation studies and science and technology studies, where interest in emergence of technologies dominates. This is puzzling because phase-outs of socio-technical configurations are real-world phenomena. We propose a conceptual framework to study the dynamics of phase-outs of socio-technical configurations drawing from social practice theory which offers specific, nuanced, yet simple heuristics to trace the multifaceted character of socio-technical configurations. We explore an historical case of an incomplete phase-out by revisiting cloud seeding technology in the US. We show how the incomplete phase-out of cloud seeding was reflected in incomplete disruption of linkages between the material, cognitive and symbolic elements of the configuration. This case shows how a technology once considered problematic can resurface and regain legitimacy.

故意淘汰技术被认为是削弱现有社会技术配置的可行政策选择。同时，逐步淘汰作为一种现象并没有成为创新研究和科学技术研究中关注的焦点，在这些研究中，对技术兴起的兴趣占主导地位。令人困惑的是，逐步淘汰社会技术配置是现实世界中的现象。我们提出了一个概念框架，旨在根据社会实践理论研究逐步淘汰社会技术配置的动态，社会实践理论提供了特定，细微而又简单的启发式方法来追踪社会技术配置的多方面特征。我们将通过回顾美国的云播种技术来探索不完全淘汰的历史案例。我们展示了如何将不完全淘汰的云播种反映在配置的材料，认知和符号元素之间的链接的不完整中断中。这个案例说明了曾经被认为是有问题的技术如何能够重新出现并重新获得合法性。