A wide variety of materials are used in the manufacture of machinery, ships, buildings and other structures and equipment. Careful consideration is given to the selection of those materials by designers to ensure that they have the requisite strength and durability for the purpose that they were intended. Nevertheless, failures do still occur, often having far-reaching consequences such as the catastrophic explosion of pressure vessels, the breakdown of essential machinery or escapes of fluids, which in turn can lead to fatal injuries, environmental damage, disruption to business or other economic losses.
To establish the cause of a materials failure, it is necessary to conduct a detailed investigation to establish the failure mechanism. Such an investigation would typically involve one of Burgoynes’ Materials Scientists or Engineers, all of whom possess in-depth knowledge of the relationship between the chemistries and microstructures of materials and their physical and mechanical properties.
Our Materials Scientists and Engineers are able to identify the characteristics of a particular failure and, from a review of the relevant operating data, maintenance records, design data and witness evidence, establish the circumstances in which the incident occurred. Our Materials Scientists and Engineers can then apply their expertise to determine whether the failure occurred through inadequate design, poor materials selection, defective manufacture, gradual deterioration, misuse or some other cause.
Burgoynes has investigated thousands of incidents involving all types of materials, ranging from fractures in domestic glazing through to failures of superalloys used in gas turbine blades. We have conducted investigations in a wide range of settings, including petrochemical plants, power generation facilities, ships, offshore platforms, manufacturing plants and domestic dwellings.
Examples of the types of incidents we have investigated include:
- Fractures in rotating machinery, such as gas, steam and wind turbines, gears and drive systems.
- Failures/separation of joints in plastic and metallic pipework.
- Chemical and environmentally assisted failures in plastic pipework and components.
- Cracks in welded joints caused by poor welding practices, such as inadequate post weld heat treatment in pressure vessel welds or poor handling of welding consumables.
- Corrosion failures in pipework, tanks and cranes.
- Fractures in ships’ machinery and structural elements, such as cranes, crankshafts, rudder assemblies and propellors, anchors, chains and lashing gear.
- High temperature ruptures in boilers and furnaces.
- Fracture of alloy and carbon-fibre composite bicycle components.
- Blistering and degradation of paint coating systems.
- Spontaneous fracture of glazing panels.
The above list is far from exhaustive, so should you require to discuss our expertise in other types of incident, please contact us on 020 7726 4951 or complete our Contact Form.