Materials and their reaction to fire

posted June 2015

Principal Engineer, Larry Hanke, spoke at the spring seminar of the Wisconsin chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) on materials analysis for fire investigations The purpose of the presentation was to describe and demonstrate what a metallurgical engineer can add to the investigation of a structural fire or explosion. His presentation included an overview of important principles of metallurgical and materials science,  descriptions of the analytical methods used in finding the modes of failure, and case studies of investigations at MEE where material science has been instrumental in the investigation.

The following image was taken at MEE using a metallographic microscope.

Melting from electrical arcing on corrugated stainless steel tubing perforation

Melting from electrical arcing on corrugated stainless steel tubing perforation