Introduction to Metallurgical Failure Analysis with Case Studies
In Introduction to Metallurgical Failure Analysis with Case Studies, you'll learn ...
- What metallurgical failure analysis is and why it is important
- How the various tests contribute to the engineer’s knowledge of the component failure
- The various tests performed during a metallurgical failure analysis
Overview
On a long enough timeline, the reliability of equipment components falls to zero. In general, components regularly fail unexpectedly or prior to the end of their design life. Either way, knowledge of why the component has failed is fundamental to selecting the appropriate course of action and/or solution. Otherwise, the engineer is, at best, operating with limited information and, at worst, speculating. Performing a metallurgical failure analysis will provide the engineer with the necessary information on the material level to accurately assess the cause of failure.
By performing relatively basic mechanical testing in conjunction with chemical analysis and metallurgy, the engineer can gather the necessary information needed to determine the metallurgical failure mode and contributing factors. Was the failure mechanical or corrosive in nature? Was there a material issue or was it overloaded? Was the material within specification? These are some examples of contributing factors that will likely be of interest to those with a stake in the cause of the failure, such as technical personnel, engineers, supervisors, lawyers, government officials, etc.
In this course, an overview of the metallurgical failure analysis process and typical tests performed during a metallurgical failure analysis and examples of the how the information provided by the tests can be used to glean the metallurgical failure mode. Additionally, three case studies will be presented to show the engineer the process and how the data collected during the analysis contribute to the goal of determining the metallurgical failure mode. The case studies present the metallurgical failure analysis of a woodchopper’s maul, the valve body of a positive displacement pump, and a set of pump shafts. The set of case studies were selected to provide interesting material and provide useful examples of metallurgical failure analysis.
Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained
This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:
- Become familiar with metallography, mechanical testing, chemical testing, low and high magnification documentation, etc
- Learn what caused the failure of a woodchopper’s maul
- Learn what caused the failure of a valve body
- Learn what caused the failure of a set of pump shafts
Certificate of Completion
You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 15 questions. PDH credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.
This course is applicable to professional engineers in: | ||
Alabama (P.E.) | Alaska (P.E.) | Arkansas (P.E.) |
Delaware (P.E.) | District of Columbia (P.E.) | Florida (P.E. Area of Practice) |
Georgia (P.E.) | Idaho (P.E.) | Illinois (P.E.) |
Illinois (S.E.) | Indiana (P.E.) | Iowa (P.E.) |
Kansas (P.E.) | Kentucky (P.E.) | Louisiana (P.E.) |
Maine (P.E.) | Maryland (P.E.) | Michigan (P.E.) |
Minnesota (P.E.) | Mississippi (P.E.) | Missouri (P.E.) |
Montana (P.E.) | Nebraska (P.E.) | Nevada (P.E.) |
New Hampshire (P.E.) | New Jersey (P.E.) | New Mexico (P.E.) |
New York (P.E.) | North Carolina (P.E.) | North Dakota (P.E.) |
Ohio (P.E. Self-Paced) | Oklahoma (P.E.) | Oregon (P.E.) |
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Tennessee (P.E.) | Texas (P.E.) | Utah (P.E.) |
Vermont (P.E.) | Virginia (P.E.) | West Virginia (P.E.) |
Wisconsin (P.E.) | Wyoming (P.E.) |