Failure Analysis Services

Failure analysis is a critical aspect of product development and system improvement which not only helps us learn from the past, but helps prevent future failures.

Failure analysis is a multi-faceted, holistic approach to determine how and why a material or product failed. The initial stage of any investigation involves an in-depth discovery phase in which one of Element’s expert failure analysts collects information on the circumstances surrounding the failure and any relevant background information, including environmental factors, type of application, service life and pertinent design information. Element's failure analysts then apply a wide variety of analytical methods and tools to inspect the failed part.

While identifying the root cause of any failure is usually the primary goal, the real value of the procedure is to identify what can be done to prevent future occurrences. Based on findings from this process, Element experts provide recommendations and work closely with the customer to find solutions to problems for a diverse range of products and materials. It is the combination of our materials expertise together with our knowledge on what impact the service environment can have on a material or product, that enables Element to rapidly deliver comprehensive recommendations to identify avoid resolutions and future in-service failures.

Our teams of expert metallurgists, chemists, and materials scientists are internationally recognized as some of the most experienced in their field. They have decades of hands-on experience in performing root cause analysis for failures across many sectors, including Aerospace, Oil & Gas, Transportation, Construction, Medical Device and Consumer Products.

Working with customers around the world, our teams provide expert failure analysis and reporting through a range of technical services, including stress analysis and material characterization, trace evidence analysis and forensic engineering.

Our failure analysis capabilities

Our failure analysis capabilities include metallurgical and chemical analysis for various grades of metals, polymers and composite materials.

We offer a full range of failure analysis services in the following areas:

Corrosion consulting

Element’s global network of world-renowned corrosion experts and consultants provide support for corrosion-related failures, including failure analysis, consulting and legal case support. We specialize in determining root cause failure, residue identification, and corrosion prevention consultancy.

Expert witness services

Element offers a wide-ranging expert witness services. Our experts are often called upon to deliver critical testimony or expertise in legal or insurance cases surrounding materials, product or component failures, compliance cases, patent infringements, or detecting evidence of abuse or defects.

Fractography services

Should a product or material fail, Element’s scientists can examine the fracture surface to determine the cause of the failure. Our experts utilize state-of-the-art surface analysis methods and systems, such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to identify the cause of failure.

Investigative chemistry

Element's network of chemistry labs are available to help you understand the chemical composition of a material, or the chemical processes used during manufacture to help identify why a failure may have occurred.

Residue analysis

Using a variety of techniques, including SEM and EDAX analysis, Element can help identify residual deposits on your materials, and determine whether this is a surface stain or a product of corrosion or material failure.

Failure analysis on-site options

Portable chemical analysis and metallographic equipment is available to facilitate the in-situ examination of failed components where the component cannot be removed from service or is too large to transport off-site. Element has many years’ experience in this type of on-site investigation, having provided failure analysis lab services in challenging environments such as offshore oil and gas installations or inside a power generation plant.