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A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | A P R I L 2 0 1 5
2 4
SOLVINGPROBLEMS IN
HUMAN/LEGAL DOMAINS
USING FAILURE ANALYSIS
METHODS
Difficulty in clearly and quantitatively answering questions concerning a component
or product failure can lead to courtroom debates, arguments, and battles.
Priyadarshan Manohar,* Robert Morris University, Moon Township, Pa.
When a product or system failure
occurs, it can have unfortunate conse-
quences, such as lost productivity and
negative effects on customer loyalty,
not to mention serious injury or loss of
life. Therefore, the total cost of failure
depends on the specific nature of all
damage incurred. In cases where there
is disagreement over who is to blame,
the dispute might go to a court of law
where several important aspects of
the failure analysis (FA) are tested, dis-
cussed, and judged. Aspects to consider
include:
•
Did the investigative FA methodolo-
gy follow accepted scientific proce-
dures, such as those established by
national and international agencies,
and relevant industry codes, stan-
dards, and specifications?
•
Was the evidence protected via
chain of command documentation?
•
Were appropriate protocols es-
tablished and agreed upon by all
parties involved regarding evidence
collection and testing?
•
Was the sequence and chronology
of failure events established?
•
Were all parties involved in the
design, manufacturing, assembly,
commissioning/construction, use,
and maintenance of the product/
system identified?
•
Were the reason(s) for failure de-
termined with reasonable scientific
certainty?
•
What amount of damages should be
awarded to victims?
•
Is the responsibility of the failure
shared, determined, and agreed
upon?
These issues can be contentious,
leading to keen legal debate and argu-
ments to determine product liability. Ar-
guments are based on failure analysis re-
portsandexpert testimonies,whichmust
withstand both direct and cross exam-
ination. This can be a daunting situation
for FA professionals, whomight not be fa-
miliar with legal jargon and procedures.
Further, although the questions raised
above are important, they do not neces-
sarily have straightforward answers. The
case studies examined here identify and
describe technical procedures to assist
with explaining complex situations and
thereby assist in solving failure analysis
problems. These examples show that
the kinetics of metallurgical reactions,
phenomena, and phase transformations
including corrosion, fatigue, creep, grain
growth, and heat treatment—coupled
with fractographic analyses and math-
ematical modeling—can be adapted to
find answers to important questions in
the legal/human domains.
Fig. 1 —
Surface of a freshly baked bread roll shows black deposits at regular intervals. FTIR
spectroscopic analysis determined that burnt deposits are associated with corn meal used as a
release agent during the baking process.
*Member of ASM International