O'Donnell Consulting performs failure analysis by combining materials science with state-of-the-art finite element computer capabilities, determining the precise root cause of structural failures, fire/explosions, and industrial accidents.
We investigate product liability issues involving industrial/ automotive/ transportation equipment, appliances, and sporting goods equipment.
Accident/ Failure Analysis
Accidents or failures often result from design and/or material imperfections, problems in manufacturing / assembly, component misuse, or corrosion. In high temperature applications, complicated failure modes may ocurr, such as creep ratcheting, rupture, and creep fatigue.
- We have the expertise, technology, and experience to identify and quantify these failure modes.
- We help you understand the root cause and perform design-of-repair to prevent costly recurrences, thus lowering operating costs and improving safety.
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<<See Portfolio to read about our past cases.>>
Metallurgy/ Testing
We offer a full spectrum of metallurgical testing in conjunction with our engineering
analysis tools to evaluate the root cause of component failure. We perform corrosion investigations, surface condition studies,
mechanical and fracture mechanics testing, and evaluations of weldments.
Our testing
includes:
- chemical and mechanical analyses
- metallographic examination
- fractography (SEM and TEM)
- accelerated testing of failure modes
- corrosion testing
Our engineers hold advanced degrees in metallurgy, and mechanical, civil, chemical, and electrical engineering. We have investigated numerous incidents including:
- Failures of industrial equipment including lift trucks, vessels, and cranes
- Failures of gas and oil pipelines
- Aviation and aerospace component failures
- Accident/ fire investigations in industrial facilities and power plants
- Product liability issues - sporting goods/ appliances / turbomachinery/ bearings
If and when it becomes necessary to present the facts in court, we supply cutting-edge computer graphics, 3-D animations, and multimedia presentations to accompany our expert testimony, clearly demonstrating the issues for a jury to easily understand. See Expert Witness.
See also Fire/ Explosion. Click here to see a summary of our senior engineer's resumes. To read about our full range of engineering services, see Capabilities Summary.
<<Above: A failed support/beam in a steel facility, a closeup image of the buckled beam, and a finite element model of the beam.>>