FAILURE ANALYSIS AND PREVENTION

The failure analysis and prevention program in Poulter laboratory utilizes several areas of expertise including corrosion and fatigue, fracture testing and analysis, explosive effects testing and analysis, and fire safety research.

A new technology was developed at SRI that analyzes failures in aging refinery vessels and pipes to disclose when cracks nucleated and how fast they grew. The technology, called FRASTA (FRActure Surface Topography Analysis), is a major advance in fractography that allows a failure event to be replayed in microscopic detail. Besides providing mechanistic and microstructural information not obtainable from conventional fracture surface examination, FRASTA can often provide the history of a crack and the fracture toughness of the material.

Example Failure Analysis and Prevention Programs:

	Development of fragment barriers to protect aircraft from a catastrophic engine failure.
	Development of a patented hardened luggage container to protect aircraft from a terrorist bomb.
	Fatigue of Airport Pavements
	Hazard Assessment of Damaged Tank Cars
	LifeX - Aging Systems Management and Life Extension
	Evaluation of fracture development in aging aircraft from fatigue and corrosion.