Fractures are by far one of the most frequent causes of failure.
Therefore, it is of enormous importance in materials engineering to understand the cause of a fracture or crack precisely. The experience of over 40 years of applied failure analysis is available to our customers.

The most important examination method here is fractography. The art of making statements about the failure mechanism on the basis of the fracture surfaces.

By examining the macro-fractographic fracture features (fracture position, deformation, etc.) and the micro-fractographic fracture features (oscillating stripes, secondary cracks, inclusions, etc.), conclusions can be drawn about the cause of the fracture, the fracture outcome and thus the cause of the damage.

The mechanical characterisation of damaged samples, for example via tensile tests or hardness tests, allows a comparison with the specifications and target values of the material. Metallographic examinations can be used to check the microstructure, microstructural defects and heat treatment condition, which have a great influence on the mechanical properties of a component.

Through the expert evaluation of these characteristic values and features, clear statements can usually be made about the existing damage mechanism, as well as conclusions drawn about the damage progression.

Standards: VDI Guideline 3822 Sheets 2 and 3