Failure Investigation
When a part breaks, deforms or does not behave as it should, the right question is not only "how high is the stress?" but "why did it happen?".
A failure has a cause, and it is rarely just one.
A part may fail because it was designed too close to its limits, because the material is not the one specified, because the mould or the process left weak spots, or because it is used differently than anyone expected. Replacing it with a stronger part may hide the problem or move it elsewhere.
A useful investigation starts from the evidence: the failed parts, the operating conditions and the history. Simulation comes later, where it helps to confirm a cause or compare solutions.
What we take on
- Collection of real operating data
- Review of the design
- Review of the material
- Review of the manufacturing process
- Assessment of the failure mode
- FEA where it adds value
- Comparison of alternative designs
- Proposals for corrective action
- Physical tests, when they are needed
What we do not do
We do not have our own laboratory for chemical or metallurgical analysis. Where it is needed, we work with a suitable laboratory.
From the broken part to the corrective action.
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Evidence
The failed parts, photographs, drawings, material certificates, operating conditions and failure history.
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Failure mode
What the fracture or deformation says: overload, fatigue, creep, impact, a manufacturing defect.
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Possible causes
Design, material, process and use examined in turn; calculations, FEA or tests where they separate one cause from another.
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Corrective actions
What to change, compared by cost and risk, and how to confirm that the change worked.
When the cause is in the moulding
Weld lines, voids, residual stress and moisture in the material are frequent causes of failure in plastic parts. Decades of injection moulding production help recognise them.
Injection Moulding TroubleshootingWhen the flow is involved
Recurring failures in pumps and fluid systems start from the operating conditions, not from a CFD model.
Worked exampleA part keeps failing? Let's find out why.
Send photos of the failed parts, the drawing or model, the material and what you know about how and when it fails. Keep the broken parts: they are the most important evidence.