Metallurgical Failure Investigations
The sole purpose of a metal failure investigation is to identify a metallurgical opinion of what caused a metal failure based on fact. Plain and simple. We understand that many of our clients are not metallurgical engineers. We write reports that are easy to understand.
In comparison with the iPhone's debut in 2007, Steve Jobs was obsessed with the user experience of the iPhone. How the glass felt to the touch, the look. We at ASAP Metal Testing share that same obsession with our user experience.
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A metal failure investigation report should include the following:
- A description of the failed component.
- Any history of the failed component’s operating conditions, time in service and manufacturing history. This is very important information that will help the reader better understand what may have contributed to the failure.
- Most important - is there a clear, concise summary of what caused the failure. Any reader, technical or non-technical, should understand the cause(s) of the failed component.
- Also important is what the engineer did NOT see. That can answer many questions for different readers based on their experience or involvement with the failed part.
- The remainder of the report should be a detailed picture story documenting all the metallurgical facts:
- Macrophotographs of the as-received component and higher magnification views of the fracture surface or any other significant details.
- Scanning electron microscope (SEM) examination of the fracture surface at both low and high magnifications with photographs. The SEM examination’s goal is to identify where the fracture features point back to as the initiation site. Identifying the initiation site is the most part of the failure investigation. Fractures always initiate from some form of a stress concentration which can be a surface or sub-surface weakness in the component.
- Energy Dispersion Spectroscopic (EDS) analysis of any corrosion residue provides a semi-quantitative analysis spectral display of any elements associated with the corrosion residue.
- Microscopic examination in the unetched and etched condition provides photographs of any microstructural conditions, micro-cracking or corrosion artifacts that can show the cracking progressing through the sample cross section. These photographs can be undisputable proof of what caused the component fracture.
- The examination findings should be supported by all the performed technical tests:
- Chemical test results
- Tensile test results
- Hardness and micro-hardness test results
- Charpy Impact test results
- All of the photographs should have captions and arrows embedded in the photographs helping the reader follow what features are being discussed in the test report.
Client Support / Claims Resolution
ASAP Metal Testing is the only failure analysis lab that includes a follow-up, live video conference call with your client’s client if there is some dispute or lack of understanding concerning the report findings. This is offered for many reasons:
- The technical data included in the body of the report is the evidence that we uncovered to identify the cause of the failure.
- We feel it is our job (when necessary) to further explain a report’s findings to your client so there is complete understanding by all parties as to what caused the failure. This permits the identification of which company is responsible for the failure and any costs associated with any rework or outstanding inventory.
- Also important is to discuss what we did not see that could mislead other parties to a more favorable failure root cause.
The claim/warranty process, inventory holds or other situations can all result in non-payment for your product. We do not expect our clients to defend our test reports to their clients. That is why we prefer to represent our test reports to our client’s client since we were the technical author. That allows us to defend the report's conclusions to provide a resolution for all of the involved parties.
Specifications
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