Failure Analysis Services

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.

Chemical analysis 

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 are 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.