Failure analysis – a duty of IPT

Abstract

Since the early 1900’s, the time when IPT acquired its first optical microscope for metallography, failure analysis has been a duty whose accomplishments have never stopped. The term “failure analysis” has a broad meaning, but the intent now is to restrict this meaning to the analyses performed on fractured or cracked mechanical components and structures intended to determine their causes. Cases related to loss of stability of structures due to deformation, wear and general corrosion that are also considered failures will not be treated in this article. Engineers normally try to design machines, engines and all sorts of mechanical components and structures to be failure proof. For that material selection, manufacturing processes, assembling and maintenance recommendations are carefully specified. The appliance to these specifications normally prevents failures. However, if one or more of the items specified above is not obeyed, the probability of failure increases. Furthermore, there are situations in which, even though all the specifications are followed by the book, a part may fail and an accident ensue. Some selected failure analysis performed by IPT are presented in this paper. The trends for the future are to apply monitoring techniques to mechanical components and structures, capable of alerting possible failures before they occur.

Keywords: failure; fracture; fatigue; overloading, liquid/gas equilibrium, hydraulic block.