Failure & Forensics
Materials & Metallurgy Engineering
Materials and metallurgical support for determining how material condition, degradation, corrosion, welding, heat treatment or manufacturing defects contributed to equipment damage or failure.
- UEI
- ZR3PJZEA7A21
- CAGE
- 174X8
- Independence
- Findings challenged before release
- Deployment
- Remote response within 24 hours
What This Discipline Covers
Scope of the technical capability.
Materials and metallurgical support for determining how material condition, degradation, corrosion, welding, heat treatment or manufacturing defects contributed to equipment damage or failure.
- Failure metallurgy
- Metallography
- Fractography
- Corrosion assessment
- Weld integrity
- Materials selection
- Hardness and microstructure review
- Laboratory analysis coordination
- Manufacturing defect assessment
Problems The Technical Lead Solves
The questions this discipline is engaged to answer.
- 01
Cracking
- 02
Corrosion
- 03
Fracture
- 04
Weld failures
- 05
Material selection disputes
- 06
Heat treatment issues
- 07
Manufacturing defects
- 08
Laboratory supported failure analysis
Equipment And Systems
Assets this Technical Lead has worked on directly.
- Pressure equipment
- Piping
- Welds
- Shafts
- Gears
- Fasteners
- Castings
- Forgings
- Structural components
Industries And Environments
Operating environments where this experience was built.
- Power
- Oil and gas
- Chemical and process
- Manufacturing
- Infrastructure
Diagnostic And Investigation Methods
How the technical work is actually performed.
- Evidence preservation and chain of custody
- Field examination and dimensional verification
- Fractography and damage mechanism assessment
- Root cause and root cause failure analysis
- Hypothesis testing against operating data
- Engineering calculation and fitness for service screening
Codes And Standards
Frameworks applied to the analysis.
- ASME BPVC Sections I, V, VIII and IX
- ASME B31.1 and B31.3
- API 579 fitness for service
- API 510, 570 and 653
- NFPA 921 and NFPA 70E where applicable
Credentials And Qualification
The professional basis for this discipline.
- 01
Degreed engineering background with industrial operating experience
- 02
Professional engineering registration or equivalent recognized credentials
- 03
Code and standards qualification relevant to the equipment examined
- 04
Expert report and testimony experience in disputed matters
Representative Professional Experience
Assignment types this discipline supports.
- 01
Root cause investigation of a catastrophic rotating equipment failure with recovery planning
- 02
Forensic assessment of pressure boundary rupture including metallurgical and operational analysis
- 03
Multidisciplinary loss investigation coordinating mechanical, electrical, and process specialists
- 04
Independent review of an opposing technical opinion in a contested claim
Assignment descriptions are generalized to protect client confidentiality. Specific references can be discussed during scoping where permissions allow.
Multidisciplinary Interfaces
Disciplines this work commonly coordinates with.
- Mechanical & RCA
- Inspection
- NDT
- Reliability
- Fire & Explosion
Discuss a materials & metallurgy assignment.
We will help define the evidence, disciplines, and next step required to answer it.