Failure Investigations/Forensics Engineering
At Hedderman Consulting we conduct failure investigations of mechanical and structural equipment and components to determine the root cause of the failure. When you need to know why your equipment failed and how to prevent it from happening again, we can help.
We’ve successfully performed failure investigations of a variety of equipment and components such as:
pressure vessels
heat exchangers
evaporators
steam heaters
storage tanks
rotating equipment
storage racks
industrial fans
mining equipment
What can you expect with a failure investigation? See our blog post here for details.
Projects
The following are examples of some of the recent failure investigations we’ve conducted:
Failure investigation and structural evaluation of an assembly line carriage system
An assembly line carriage system was experiencing an abnormally high number of premature failures of wheels and bearings. A root cause failure investigation was performed entailing finite element analysis (FEA), determination of placement of real-time load sensors, and evaluation of load data from the installed sensors. An evaluation of the data and FEA results identified the root cause of the failures as an excessive increase in load due to changes in load path in the system from improper assembly. Revised assembly procedures along with design modifications were shown to resolve the problems.
Investigation of cracking of Pressure Vessels used to transport hazardous materials
A failure investigation of ASME pressure vessels containing hazardous materials was performed to determine the root cause of the failures. Since the vessels were two of a fleet of several thousand identical vessels in operation, the source of the failures was of significant importance to the owner. The investigation included a visual inspection of the vessels and performing finite element analyses (FEA) of the vessels for various operating and handling conditions. The root cause of the failures was identified as improper handling. Design modifications were recommended to prevent improper handling and further failures.
Failure Investigation of a Steam Jacketed Vessel
A process vessel used in the production of lubrication oil was experiencing multiple failures in its steam jacket. A failure investigation consisting of a visual inspection, gathering data pertaining to the vessel’s operational history, performing hand calculations and finite element analyses, and a metallurgical investigation was conducted. The root cause of the failures was determined to be thermal shock loading and corrosion fatigue.
Blog
The following are some of our blog posts related to failure investigations. For a complete listing of our blog posts see our Blog Page here.
Failure Investigations: How the Causes of Failures are Identified
While the details of how a failure investigation is conducted can vary depending on the individual conducting the investigation and the particular equipment or structure, the cause of nearly all failures can be grouped into one (or more) of five categories. (Read the post here)
What to Expect During a Failure Investigation
What are the basic steps in a failure investigation and what should you know before having one done? (Read the post here)
Other Services We Provide
To learn more about the other services we provide click on the links below