Conclusion

Diagnosing industrial equipment failures and predicting their lifespan requires in-depth knowledge of the materials used in their manufacture. Feedback on the primary causes of equipment component failures shows that, in the vast majority of cases, they stem from failure mechanisms affecting their materials. Understanding material failure mechanisms involves mastering a number of disciplines: material structure, fracture mechanics, strength of materials, corrosion and ageing. Knowledge of these mechanisms is indispensable for preventing design-related failures, establishing post-mortem diagnostics and estimating residual service life or RUSL (remaining useful life) and DEFAD (estimated time to failure). The examples presented underline the complexity and need for feedback to anticipate and understand failure mechanisms. It is important to emphasize that expert input is indispensable for...