Failure Investigation
When equipment leaks, ruptures or otherwise fails, the important question is why. Failure investigation establishes the mechanism behind a failure and what has to change to stop it happening again.
About failure investigation
A leak, rupture or other in-service failure is rarely a one-off. The same conditions that caused it are usually present elsewhere on the plant, so treating the symptom without understanding the cause leaves the underlying risk in place.
Failure investigation sets out to establish how and why a component failed. We examine the failure surfaces and the surrounding condition, review the operating history and materials, and identify the mechanism at work, for example general or localised corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, fatigue, erosion, overload or a fabrication defect. Distinguishing between these matters, because the corrective action for a fatigue crack is very different from that for a corrosion pit.
From the mechanism we work back to the root cause, whether that lies in design, material selection, fabrication, operation or maintenance, and set out the corrective action needed to prevent recurrence.
What an investigation covers
Each investigation is scoped to the failure and the evidence available, from an initial site assessment through to a full root cause study.
- Site attendance and examination of the failed component
- Visual and dimensional examination of failure surfaces
- Identification of the failure mode and mechanism
- Review of operating history, conditions and materials
- Assessment of contributing design, fabrication and maintenance factors
- Determination of the underlying root cause
- Corrective and preventive recommendations
- Guidance on inspection of similar equipment at risk
Why investigate a failure
Symptom or cause
Repairing the damage without finding the cause leaves the same failure free to happen again.
The mechanism drives the fix
Corrosion, cracking and fatigue each call for a different remedy, so the mechanism has to be identified correctly.
Risk beyond one item
What failed on one component often threatens others in the same service, which is where an investigation points next.
Evidence for decisions
A clear account of what happened supports repair, replacement and any regulatory or insurance discussions.
Reporting and recommendations
Every investigation produces a clear report setting out the failure mode, the evidence for it and the root cause, supported by photographs and findings from the examination.
The report does not stop at explaining the failure. It sets out practical corrective action to prevent recurrence and, where the same mechanism could affect other equipment, identifies where inspection should be directed next. Reports are written by the engineer who carried out the investigation, so the conclusions reflect first-hand examination of the failure.
Related inspection services
Had a leak, rupture or unexpected failure?
Speak with our team about a failure investigation to establish the cause and prevent it recurring.