Failure analysis is the process of collecting and analyzing data to determine the root cause should your equipment or asset fail or not perform as expected.
FEA Results Showing Deflections on Lift Hook We performed a forensic failure analysis on a damaged mining lift hook. As a worker was lifting and moving a cylindrical metal basket …
Forensic Failure Analysis of Damaged Mining Lift Hook Read More »
Studs connecting the outer head cover to the stay ring of an electric-generating turbine had failed
Rotary kilns run 24/7 and are stopped only for a few days for essential maintenance. This is important because of heatup and cool down thermal transients.
Evaluation of corrosion on irrigation piping, possibly related to issues with non-conformance to specification
Surface Deformation and Fractures Low Magnification SEM Image of Fractures Higher SEM Magnifcation of Fracture We performed a failure investigation on a 6x36G IWRC Grade, non-galvanized wire rope using visual, …
Thermal, Structural and Fatigue Analysis – and Subsequent Redesign of Heat Exchanger A number of cracks were found around the bolt holes of the inlet and outlet tubesheets of a …
Cracked NASA Heat Exchanger – Failure Analysis & Redesign Read More »
During the delivery of a shipment of resin, damage occurred to a storage tank at a production facility in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The tank damage was apparently the result of tank …
Failure Analysis of Overpressurized Storage Tank Read More »
Chemical, tensile and hardness tests were performed, along with SEM. The scanning electron microscope revealed that the fracture had initiated at one location on the inside diameter surface.
An 18-inch replacement cylinder liner was manufactured for an engine used to compress natural gas. During the installation, the liner fractured and fell into the engine block, causing damage
O’Donnell Consulting provided engineering analysis of replacement reactor coolant pump seals for a major utility. In addition, a thermal hydraulic analysis was performed, providing thermal history curve for each seal, …
Engineering Analysis of Replacement Reactor Coolant Pump Seals Read More »
Imperfections in fabrication processes such as welding, forming and assembling parts for welding and cutting can contribute to the concentration of strains in localized areas to a degree that significantly shortens the fatigue life
A third stage blade on a gas turbine had failed after 11,00 hours in service
Reinforced ductwork failed shortly after being placed in service
For a major food processing company, we performed a failure investigation of a horizontally mounted low pressure process vessel. The sequential failure of several of the nuts holding the closure …
Failure Investigation on Food Processing Pressure Vessel Read More »
Failure occurred on an oil/gas threaded joint casing at a shallow depth of about 80-100 feet near the drill bit about 30-40 feet from the bottom of the hole – …
Tin-copper alloy bearing surfaces obtained from an air compressor were examined using visual, metallographic and scanning electron microscopy techniques to determine the cause of surface degradation.
We were asked to perform a failure analysis on an electronics cooling fan that malfunctioned within the first two months, or approximately 1400 hours of continuous operation. The investigation determined …
FEA Model of Barge and Mooring O’Donnell Consulting performed failure analyses of a barge mooring that had broken during a flood condition on the Ohio River in …
We performed corrosion and metallurgical analysis on two Type 316L SS rotary valve impellers exhibiting pitting. The impellers are used in cheese curd production. The pitting was localized, biased towards the …
316L SS Rotary Valve Impellers – Corrosion / Metallurgical Evaluation Read More »
Cracks had developed on tube-to-tubesheet welds on a chemical reactor. We were asked to perform a thermal transient and stress analysis of the welds. This included the startup, controlled heatup and cool-down processes on the reactor with respect to the potential for creating leaks through the tube to tubesheet welds.
Extensive investigation of the cracking was conducted, including UT, RT, and Magnetic Particle (MP) examinations; a joint test protocol for destructive testing on boat samples; chemical composition analyses, metallographic evaluations, and fractographic analyses.
We performed failure analysis on quartz tubes used in a water purification system. The flow conditions around the quartz tubes were evaluated using ANSYS Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software. Natural …
Failure Analysis – Quartz Tubes in Water Purification System Read More »
A root cause investigation was performed on a failed coupling end of a 6-inch bore hydraulic cylinder of a 30 ton automotive forming press. A visual examination of the …
Failed 30 Ton Automotive Forming Press – Root Cause Investigation Read More »
Failed conveyor chain links were fabricated from AISI-SAE 1045 steel
Cracks had occurred on Large Capacity Fuel Heaters (LCFH) during a 2000-hour service test after approximately 1000 hours of service testing. O’Donnell Consulting Engineers performed a root cause failure analysis and developed a redesign.
