Case Studies

Case studies are well known as valuable teaching tools. 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 casual writing style than our formal reports, but generally follows the structure of our reports and gives an overview of the findings and conclusions from an investigation.


Fire Inside Steel Chamber

A fire occurred inside a three-story stainless steel chamber for capturing airborne particulates. To determine the extent of… Read More

Cracking Capacitors

Several printed circuit boards had failed in testing and were suspected to be cracked. Read More

Failure of Inlet Pigtail Pipes

This case study details the failure of recently replaced inlet pigtail pipes for a hydrogen reformer furnace. Read More

Fire Protection System Leaks

A fire protection (sprinkler) system in a commercial building developed multiple leaks. Read More

Perforated Plate Failure

This case study investigates the failure of multiple type 304 stainless steel perforated plates from a natural gas fired boiler. Read More

Leaking Chemical Storage Tank

A chemical storage tank at a manufacturing facility began to leak allowing trace quantities of the chemical to leak from the… Read More

Failed Boiler Tube

This case study follows the investigation of a leak in a lateral water wall tube from a coal-fired boiler. The analysis… Read More

Fastener Failure

This case study details the failure of five threaded rods from a support system within a high-temperature furnace. The furnace… Read More

Tower Crane Collapse

A 300-ft tower crane collapsed onto the intersection of two major streets in downtown San Francisco during the morning rush… Read More

Fracture of Sternal Plates

A metallurgical evaluation was requested to investigate the fracture of three titanium sternal plates that had failed in vivo… Read More

Failed Dishwasher Fitting

An inlet valve for the dishwasher in a personal residence leaked water causing damage to the surrounding structure. The… Read More

Failed Pressure Reducing Valve Plug

A metallurgical evaluation was requested to investigate the failure of a plug from a pressure reducing valve in a high-rise… Read More

Fractured Glass Cooking Pot Lid

A glass lid from a cooking pot had reportedly spontaneously fractured. The lid had not been dropped and no objects had impacted… Read More

The Unlucky Golfer

Following an accident on a public golf club, an injured golfer filled suit against the club alleging negligence in fairway… Read More

Vent Pipe Corrosion

A metallurgical evaluation was requested to investigate corrosion of a sewer vent pipe. The objective of the evaluation was to… Read More

Thermal Fatigue

A metallurgical evaluation was requested to investigate cracks in steam system drip leg pot. Read More