Thermal Fatigue Case Study
A MEE case study on Thermal Fatigue has been added to our website. Our intent for these case studies is to provide you with a better understanding of what we do and how we approach typical projects at MEE. Each case study is taken from our files and has been edited to present a more […]
MEE Presentation on the The Science of Fractography
Larry Hanke and Dan Grice will be presenting a talk on A Historical Perspective of Fracture Analysis at the February 19 ASM Symposium at Hennepin Technical College. The theme of the symposium is “Materials Retrospect: 100 Years of Advancement” in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the MN chapter of ASM International. Other presentations at […]
Graphitic Corrosion Case Study
We were asked to determine the mechanism and possible causes of corrosion of a cast iron sanitary sewer pipe. Metallurgical testing and EDS analysis pointed to graphitic corrosion. With graphitic corrosion there is no reduction in the size or shape of the pipe but the strength of the material is severely reduced. The Vent Pipe case study explains […]
Update to MEE website
A fire inside a three story stainless steel chamber is the subject of the latest case study added to our webpage. The goal of the evaluation was to determine what material required replacement or repair, and what material could remain in service. Thus, the evaluation could only be nondestructive. This required an on-site investigation and in situ metallographic examination. […]
MEE at SMTA International Technical Conference
Three MEE staff members, Larry Hanke, Dieter Scholz and Roberta Rott attended the Surface Mount Technology Association conference this week in Chicago IL. With three of us there it allowed us to always have someone at our booth in the exhibit hall while others could attend technical talks or participate in SMTA committee meetings. SMTA […]
Case Studies
Three new case studies have been added to our website. We think case studies can provide a better understanding of what we do and how we approach typical projects at MEE. The three newest additions, Leaks in a Fire Protection System. Cracking Capacitors and Fractured Glass Cooking Pot Lid, highlight the range of experience of our technical […]
Carburization – Case Study
An interesting new case study has been added to our website. We were asked to investigate the failure of perforated steel plates from a gas-fired boiler. Initial macroscopic examination was consistent with a corrosion fatigue mechanism. Further examination using a metallographic light microscope revealed an unusually high concentration of carbides that became more concentrated in a gradient toward the […]
Failure analysis case studies
Stress corrosion cracking in a chemical storage tank, hydrogen damage in a boiler tube, fatigue fracture in titanium sternal plates are just a few of the case studies on our website. They were specifically chosen to highlight the variety of projects we see in our laboratory and more importantly, demonstrate the thorough, analytical approach we take on all of […]
Materials and their reaction to fire
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 […]