Failure analyses for polymers and rubber materials

Purpose

By examining the chemical and mechanical influences on the material on which the application is made of, conclusions can be drawn about how the accident happened. We examine very carefully whether the material has been affected by the environment where, for example, temperature, gas and chemicals that the plastic/rubber has come into contact with can cause changes that lead to reduced lifetime and performance. Some chemicals can accelerate or, in turn, trigger a breakdown, everything has to do with the choice of materials.

Understanding what is the underlying cause of a failure can be a great eye opener for the future design or manufacturing of a product. For example, a failure may be caused by the wrong material choice where the lifetime is expected to be higher than it actual is. It may be that the product was originally designed for a particular type of environment but that is latter has been used for other environments where the material has not managed to fulfill its duties. It may also be the case that other parameters around the product have changed during its operating time, e.g. temperature or load.

Method

A failure analysis is performed in our labs and the approach depends on the specific application. If a detail has been broken, the surfaces of the breakage are visually investigated, this can say a lot about how the failure occurred, whether it was brittle or ductile and where it was initiated. Has the failure occurred fast or took it a long time? Sometimes it may be necessary to also test details that have not failed and try to provoke a similar failure as in the damaged part, this can be done mechanically (a load is placed on the part) or chemically (the detail is exposed to a certain chemical environment). Depending on the application and materials being investigated, the procedure for the failure analysis varies.

Deliveries

The customer receives a report containing the results of the survey and recommendations for the future.