At Secat, our team leverages advanced mechanical and metallurgical techniques to uncover the root causes of product failures and develop targeted prevention strategies. Below, we outline our comprehensive mechanical failure analysis process, detailing each step and how it guarantees successful outcomes.

What is mechanical failure analysis?

Mechanical failure analysis is the scientific investigation of why a mechanical product failed. It is conducted for the purpose of determining the cause of failure so that the manufacturers of the product can take effective corrective measures to prevent the same failure from occurring again. 

Mechanical failure analysis is a meticulous process where our expert materials engineers and scientists study a product to identify and understand component failures. Our team uses specific tests to determine the cause of failure and provides detailed findings with recommendations to prevent future failures.

What are the steps to mechanical failure analysis?

When Secat’s expert failure analysis team undertakes a project, we follow this protocol step by step: 

1. Discovery

Every mechanical failure analysis begins with an in-depth investigation of how and why the product itself failed. Many mechanical products are very complicated, and their components can fail at different stages of production or use for a variety of reasons. When one part fails, it can cause cascading failures in other components. This can make isolating the initial cause of failure difficult. 

Our experts start by collecting data to thoroughly understand the failure by examining the components, environment, and timing of the mechanical failure. We trace the mechanical dysfunction back to the initial failure, isolating its root cause. This allows us to identify the key issue manufacturers need to address to prevent future failures.

2. Fractographic investigation

Secat’s mechanical failure analysis process includes a fractographic investigation after discovery. A fractographic investigation is the in-depth study of the fracture surface of materials. This is one of the most important steps in a mechanical failure analysis.

When mechanical components fail, they leave behind a “fingerprint” on the fracture surface that can be used to identify the conditions of the failure. The specific characteristics of the fracture surface can help identify key environmental factors such as stress and corrosion. For example, fatigue failures often show three stages of failure: initiation, propagation, and final failure. Material defects at the initiation site can indicate the quality of a manufactured part. Further, corrosion pits or wear indications at the initiation site(s) may suggest the typical environment the part was exposed to.

In parts that are not exposed to cyclic (fatigue) loading conditions, the fracture surface can be analyzed to determine if it was a “ductile” fracture, which occurs when a component is loaded beyond its ultimate tensile strength, or “brittle” fracture which often is associated with failure below a material’s ultimate tensile strength.  This information can be used to understand the mechanical loading the part was exposed to in service.

3. Contextual testing based on discoveries

The discovery and fractographic investigation phases guide our next steps but rarely provide enough information to fully understand and correct the failure.

To understand the failure in detail, we use our findings to determine and conduct the necessary tests on the failed components. We then perform any of the following tests, depending on what is necessary: 

  • Mechanical testing: Mechanical testing encompasses a wide range of tests that measure the properties of materials used in mechanical products. Tests such as hardness (ASTM E18) and tensile testing (ASTM E8) assess material properties and how the material responds to various stresses and strains. These tests ensure the mechanical components meet specified strength requirements.
  • Metallographic evaluations: Metallographic analysis uses microscopic techniques to study the physical structure of metals. We often use it to understand how a metallic component reacted when the cause is not clear from fractographic investigation alone.  Further, this analysis can ensure that the product has the appropriate microstructure for its specific service requirements.
  • Chemical analysis: Chemical analysis reveals a material’s elemental and molecular composition and identifies contaminants or impurities. It is particularly useful in mechanical failure analysis when a contaminant might be affecting performance, such as inclusions in metals that are hard to detect without this testing.
  • Dimensional inspection: Dimensional inspection, or product evaluation, compares a component’s actual condition to its design specifications. This helps determine if a failure was due to improper construction or an inherent design flaw.

Interpretive data analysis

After completing all relevant tests, our experts analyze and interpret the data to determine the root cause of the failure. This step is complete when we develop a theory that accounts for all observed details and can be replicated through validation testing if needed.  At this stage, the broad collective experience of Secat engineers provides a considerable advantage in determining the root cause of the failure.

Remediation assistance

With our advanced interpretive analysis, Secat can identify the key variables in your process that led to the failure.

For example, if our tests reveal that corrosion caused a mechanical component to fail, we will explain why and provide recommendations to prevent future issues. You can use this information to improve your product reliability and avoid further defects.

How can I get expert mechanical failure analysis?

Need expert mechanical failure analysis? Contact Secat for a quote. We will evaluate your unique problem and determine the best approach to solve it effectively.