Failure Analysis
The scientists at Chemir Analytical Services have been investigating and resolving product failures for almost 50 years. This experience allows us to recognize indicators of failure and follow these leads to their root cause. We will help you define the problem and recommend solutions.
A product failure may include premature breakage, discoloration or even an unexpected odor. Before we begin, it is useful to know if this failure is a new occurrence or has been an ongoing issue. A sample of the "good" vs. "bad" product may be sent to our lab, but onsite investigations are also an option.
The types of materials tested in failure projects have included:
- Packaging
- Plastics
- Adhesives
- Metals
- Coatings
- Composites
- Laminates
- And more...
Our in-house laboratory includes a variety of instrumentation for failure analysis such as optical microscopy, SEM/EDXA, FT-IR, DSC, TGA, TMA, GC/MS, LC/MSn and GPC. We also provide physical failure analysis through tension, compression, 3 point bending and permeability, as well as surface analysis and metallography.
Environmental chambers are also available for failure analysis and to test the effects of UV, heat and humidity on materials and products. To better understand the problem, we may recreate the failure conditions. Both customized analyses and application of established standards such as ASTM methods are employed.
Chemir's final report includes conclusions, results and all the original technical data acquired during the analysis including photographs, chromatograms and spectra. Finally, recommendations for prevention of future failures are presented and, if necessary, our experts are experienced in providing litigation support.
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