Failure Analysis.

Our team analyzes and tests consumer products, manufacturing and commercial equipment, medical equipment and construction defects. We apply a rigorous scientific approach to determine how the failure occurred, how the failure appeared over time, and whether it was due to improper installation, user misuse, material defect, or manufacturing and/or design defect. We use state-of-the art equipment and software to determine failure analysis.

practice areas

Automobile +Tire Failures

Construction Defects

Fire & Explosion

Full-scale and component testing

Mechanical Defects & Failures

Oil + Gas Industry Accidents

Product & Medical Device Liability

Property Loss

Structural Engineering

theater seats

Have you sat in a seat that presented a problem? BEAR concluded that a mechanical component in the seatlift was inadequate in the theater seat photographed (in the top left quadrant). Each seat back was held in place by two bolts, one on each side, through a small metal tab. To determine the loads on the tab when the seat was used by various persons of various sizes and weights, strain gauges were installed on an actual seat (pictured in the lower left quadrant) and peak loads were recorded. Field measured loads were also applied to a computer model of the tab (lower right quadrant) to examine peak stresses in the corner of the tab and the fatigue limit of the seat. As predicted, the metal materials used were inadequate for creating the metal tab.

procedures + processes

Root Cause Failure Analysis

Fracture Mechanics

Fatigue Testing

Metallurgical Analysis

Welding, Soldering & Brazing

Ductile and Brittle Fractures

Hydrogen Embrittlement

Analysis of Stress Corrosion Cracking

Surface Analysis (SEM, FTIR, X-Ray)

X-Ray Analysis

Micro & Macro-photography

Examples of our work.

aircraft engine components

BEAR performed a dynamic analysis of various components of an aircraft engine. The parametric study of one component - a connecting rod - is shown above. Our goal was to determine how to reduce stress on the components to avoid critical stress for crack propagation. Using finite element analysis, our results determined the cause of failure in the engine and provided new pre-load specifications to prevent future failure.