Category Archives: Failure Analysis

Failure Analysis

posted January 2018

“The greatest teacher, failure is.”
Yoda

Wind Generator Blade Failure

This line from the latest Star Wars movie caught our ear. Any product failure can have serious consequences – from financial loss and/or personal safety perspectives. The expertise of the MEE engineering and technical staff encompasses a fundamental understanding of material behavior and a broad range of experience with different materials and types of failure. Paired with our technical expertise in failure analysis is an understanding that there is often an underlying root cause of failure that may be of greater importance to mitigating or preventing similar failures or improving a product’s future performance.

There is a lot to be learned from failure. MEE is your partner in the determination of the cause of a failure to minimize future risk.

Filed under: Failure Analysis,

Failure Analysis Presentation

posted February 2017

Larry Hanke and Dan Grice will be presenting at the  Minnesota Section of ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Spring Symposium on March 15 in Plymouth MN.

Wind Generator Blade Failure

Wind Generator Blade Failure

The title of this year’s symposium is “Failure, Test and Modeling Tools in Engineering Design”. Larry and Dan’s presentation will cover advice on field practices to prepare for failure analysis, laboratory test methods for evaluation of mechanical behavior and corrosion, failure analysis tasks useful for product improvement efforts, examples of the analysis of field failures and laboratory test specimens, and the application of test data to product development.

 

Filed under: Failure Analysis, Presentations,

On the Road Again

posted November 2016

Larry Hanke, will be speaking on Forensic Materials Engineering for Product Liability Litigation at the November meeting of  the Metro NY-NJ chapter of ASM International. The presentation will discuss potential materials related problems in product design and manufacturing that can lead to product failures. Failure mechanisms, including fracture and corrosion, as well as the material properties and service conditions that cause these failures will be covered. In addition, he will discuss special considerations for the process of investigating product failures involved in litigation from the materials engineering prospective.

Filed under: ASM, Failure Analysis, Forensic Engineering,

Dan Grice, P.E. Nominated to Failure Analysis Society Board

posted August 2016

MEE Senior Materials Engineer, Dan Grice, was just named to the Board of Directors for the Failure Analysis Society  (FAS) of ASM International.  Dan will be acting as liaison to the FAS Membership Committee. Among his goals will be to develop programs within FAS to increase membership and improve services for the emerging professionals demographic.

“The Failure Analysis Society is the newest affiliate society from ASM International. Founded in 2016, this society is dedicated to advancing the important role failure analysis plays in the materials science industry. We aim to promote more safe, reliable products by study of the many ways in which failures occur and to educate the larger engineering, manufacturing, and user communities regarding our findings.”

 

Filed under: About MEE, ASM, Failure Analysis, Materials Science Engineers,

Failure Analysis Society

posted July 2016

“ASM International (ASM), the world’s largest association of metals-focused materials professionals, has launched a new affiliate society, the Failure Analysis Society (FAS). The society is dedicated to advancing the important role failure analysis plays in the materials science industry.”

Congratulations to MEE Materials Science Engineers Larry Hanke, Ryan Haase, and Dan Grice who have been selected as founding members of the Society.

What are the benefits to working with an engineer or scientist who is actively involved in their professional society?  You know you are working with someone who has an interest in sustaining and advancing their field, places a high level of importance on professionalism and ethics and is keeping up-to-date on trends and best practices.
FAS member

 

Filed under: About MEE, ASM, Failure Analysis, Materials Science Engineers,

Larry Hanke Nominated for ASM Board of Trustees

posted June 2016

DSC_5030

 

Congratulations to CEO and Principal Engineer, Larry Hanke,  who was nominated for the ASM International Board of Trustees. Larry has chaired two local chapters and served on four national committees including chair of the Handbook Committee and Failure Analysis Committee. He is also a member of three ASM Affiliate Societies, the Shape Memory and Super-elastic Technologies Society, Failure Analysis Society and International Metallographic Society.

Nominees for the ASM Board are selected by the ASM Nominating Committee and will be voted on at the ASM Annual Business Meeting during MS&T16 in Salt Lake City.

 

Filed under: ASM, Failure Analysis, Materials Science Engineers,

Materials Science Camp 2016

posted June 2016

Thirty high school students spent a day at MEE  as part of a week-long Materials Science Camp sponsored by the MN Chapter of ASM International.  Under the direction of  industry and education based “Materials Mentors”, students got hands-on experience solving a materials failure analysis project. Three on our staff, Larry Hanke, Kurt Schenk and Neal Hanke, were  camp mentors. This was MEE’s tenth year sponsoring the camp.

Shown in the pictures below are students preparing samples in the metallographic lab, viewing samples in the SEM, performing Rockwell hardness testing and consulting ASM handbooks in the library. On the last day of camp they presented a report on the possible root cause of the failure with recommendations for solutions to the problem.

Metallographic Lab at MEE

SEM Lab at MEE

Library at MEERockwell Hardness Testing

Filed under: About MEE, ASM, Failure Analysis, Materials testing laboratory, Rockwell Hardness,

Pipeline Corrosion Control Seminar

posted February 2016

Two of our engineers, Dick Kielty and Dan Grice, attended the 2016 NACE International 10,000 Lakes Pipeline Corrosion Control Seminar  held in Prior Lake MN.  The MEE trade show booth was set up, too, so when Dick and/or Dan were not in one of the sessions, they were at the booth answering questions about the services MEE provides to the pipeline industry.

Some of our past projects have included corrosion evaluation of oil pipeline sections, determination of the failure mechanism in natural gas pipelines, and investigation of leaks in fuel oil pipelines and polyethylene natural gas lines.

DSC_8390

MEE Booth at NACE event

MEE Booth at NACE 2016 Corrosion Control Seminar

Filed under: About MEE, Corrosion studies, Failure Analysis,

Failure Analysis Presentation

posted January 2016

Larry Hanke and Dan Grice recently presented a talk on the application of CT imaging for failure analysis and laboratory services to the of technical staff and sales representatives of one of our vendors.

Typical failure analysis tasks always include a visual examination, SEM/EDS examination and microstructure analysis. Three-dimensional X-ray imaging (CT scanning) has become another important tool for failure analysis.

Contact MEE  to discuss your failure analysis project. Failure analysis and advanced research projects are directed by registered professional engineers specializing in the behavior of materials and how their structure affects service performance.

 

Filed under: Failure Analysis, Presentations,

Another Way to Look at Things…

posted December 2015

We just purchased a research grade Olympus SZX16 stereo microscope equipped with a super high resolution, digital, micro-imaging camera.  This is an excellent addition to our light microscopy laboratory. With easy shifting from macro-view to micro-view,  it is a specialized and powerful tool for fracture examination, corrosion studies and general failure analysis.

We’re looking forward to putting our newest microscope to work.

Olympus SZX16 stereo microscope with digital camera.

Olympus SZX16 Stereo Microscope with digital camera.

Filed under: About MEE, Corrosion studies, Failure Analysis, Fracture Analysis, Light Microscope,