Corrosive failures and analysis: some NML experiences

Abstract

Failure of a component indicates it has become completely or partially unusable or has deteriorated to the point that it is undependable or unsafe for normal sustained service. Failure analysis is an engineering approach to determining how and why an equipment or a component has failed. Some general causes for failure are structural loading, wear, corrosion and latent defects. The goal of a failure analysis is to understand the cause of the failure so as to prevent similar failures in the future. In addition to verifying the failure mode it is important to determine the factors that explain the how and why of the failure event. There are specific successions of events that lead to a failure. A failure analysis investigation follows the cause and effect path from the final failure back to the cause.