Failure Analysis: Methods and Steps to Carry Out

Failure analysis is the systematic process of investigating why a product, component, or system failed to perform as intended. To start failure analysis, you gather a complete history of the failure, inspect samples, form hypotheses on root causes, test those hypotheses using appropriate methods (e.g., microscopy, chemical analysis), and then draw conclusions to prevent recurrence.

In everyday language, imagine your smartphone suddenly shuts down. That’s the failure event. You’d ask: What happened, when, what changed, and how to avoid it happening again? That’s failure analysis in a nutshell. From day one, effective failure analysis saves lives, prevents costly breakdowns, and helps engineers and safety experts develop smarter, safer designs.

Why Is Failure Analysis So Important?

Failure analysis matters because it protects safety, cuts costs, and drives improvement. When failures happen—whether in machinery, medical devices, infrastructure, or software—they can mean financial loss, injuries, or even fatalities. By pinpointing root causes, failure analysis helps organizations:

• Prevent recurrence, ensuring that faulty designs aren’t repeated.

• Improve reliability, optimizing processes and products for higher uptime.

• Comply with safety and legal obligations, leveraging evidence-based conclusions.

• Boost consumer confidence by demonstrating competence and responsibility.

In regulated industries, such as medical devices or aviation, clear documentation and root-cause analysis are non-negotiable for compliance. That’s where those “authoritative health and safety sources” you asked about come into play.

How Do You Carry Out Failure Analysis? Step-by-Step Methods to Follow

Here’s a structured walk-through that’s both systematic and human-friendly:

What Are Common Methods Used in Failure Analysis?

1. Visual and Macroscopic Inspection — Where Should You Look First?

Visual inspection is often undervalued, but it’s your best starting point. It means observing the failure area with the naked eye or at low magnification to evaluate:

• Crack paths, which reveal how stresses propagated (for example, smooth vs. jagged features).

• Nature of failure — ductile (plastic deformation visible), brittle (sharp fracture), or fatigue (multiple beach marks or striations).

• Corrosion evidence, such as rust, pitting, or tarnishing.

All of this guides you to the next proper technique. For instance, weird patterns on a pipe could suggest corrosion under stress — sending you toward metallography or corrosion testing.

2. Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) — What Tools Keep Evidence Intact?

NDT lets you look inside without breaking apart your sample. Common techniques include:

• Radiography (X-ray/CT scans) – visualizes internal flaws.

• Ultrasound – detects delaminations, voids in welds or castings.

• Magnetic Particle Inspection – highlights surface cracks in ferrous materials.

• Dye Penetrant Testing – reveals surface breakage in non-porous materials.

The advantage? You don’t destroy the evidence. That’s essential, especially if failure traceability or legal proceedings are involved.

3. Microscopic and Material Analysis — How Tiny Is Tiny?

After NDT, if you see something suspicious, zoom in. Typical methods:

• SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) — examines fracture surfaces at very high magnification to reveal characteristic features like fatigue striations.

• EDS (Energy-Dispersion Spectroscopy) — often paired with SEM to identify element composition at point locations.

• Optical Microscopy — for simpler metallographic studies after proper sample preparation.

• Micro-hardness testing — to see if the material softened or hardened near the failure zone.

This deep-level look often differentiates between, say, a sudden overload versus a long-term fatigue crack.

4. Chemical and Thermal Analysis — What’s Inside Those Materials?

If you suspect contamination (like chlorine triggering corrosion) or thermal damage (e.g., overheating), tests such as:

• Spectroscopy (FTIR, XRF) — to identify chemical constituents and contaminants.

• Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) — reveals how a material’s weight changes with temperature (e.g., decomposition).

• Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) — reveals exothermic/endothermic processes like phase changes.

These methods uncover hidden influences that standard mechanical tests may miss.

5. Simulation and Re-Creation — Can You Reproduce the Failure?

Once you have a theory, test it. Run controlled experiments:

• Replicate operating loads or thermal cycles.

• Use accelerated stress testing (e.g., vibration in a lab environment).

• Record conditions and outcomes meticulously.

Successful re-creation validates your root-cause hypothesis—and builds confidence in your conclusions.

6. Root-Cause Analysis Tools — Why Use Structured Thinking?

It’s easy after the fact to say “it obviously failed due to X.” But structured tools force rigor:

• 5-Whys: keep asking “why?” until you reach a fundamental cause (e.g., from “it cracked” → “overstress” → “poor material selection” → “lack of design review”).

• Fishbone Diagram: categorize possible causes under headings like Materials, Methods, Environment, Manpower, and Machines.

• Fault Tree Analysis: starts with the failure event and traces pathways of contributing causes.

These tools help teams thoroughly address all possible causes—not just the obvious ones.

7. Reporting and Recommendations — What to Include in the Final Report?

Your final report is the bridge between discovery and improvement. It should include:

1. Executive Summary — concise overview of what went wrong and why.

2. History and Context — operational data, environment, previous failures.

3. Test Methods and Findings — each method and result documented.

4. Photos/Micrographs/Graphs — visual evidence strengthens credibility.

5. Root-Cause Analysis — structured narrative (e.g., via 5-Whys or diagrams).

6. Recommendations — actionable steps for design improvement, materials change, process control, training, and QA enhancements.

7. References to authoritative sources — e.g., ASTM standards, government safety guidelines.

A well-written report creates trust—it shows the organization takes failure seriously and adopts safety and quality.

What Special Considerations Apply in Health and Safety-Critical Industries?

In industries like medical devices, aerospace, petrochemical, or nuclear, the stakes are high. Some extra commitments:

• Strict documentation, per standards like ISO 13485 (medical), ISO 9001 (general), or AS9100 (aerospace).

• Traceable chain-of-custody for failed parts.

• Use of qualified labs and analysts with accreditations (e.g., ISO 17025).

• Regulatory reporting—notifying bodies like the FDA (medical devices), or civil aviation authorities, after certain failures.

• Detailed risk assessments (like FMEA: Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) tied back to root-cause findings.

Applying failure-analysis steps with regulatory oversight ensures not only a safer outcome, but also legal compliance and public trust.

Human Perspective on Failure Analysis?

Here’s where human insight brings value beyond standard technical reports:

1. Operator Behavior Matters: Sometimes, failure stems from misinterpretation of instructions or a “rubber-band fix” that skipped a proper repair. A conversation with frontline workers can reveal these shortcuts—not just lab data.

2. Cultural or Organizational Pressures: If a team is incentivized to ship on time, shortcuts may happen.

3. Incremental vs. Catastrophic Failures: Fatigue failures accumulate over time—users may not notice small but growing cracks. A human-centric report helps people understand “slow burns” rather than sudden blasts.

4. Learning Over Blame: If the tone of reporting is about “who screwed up,” teams hide problems. Make your narrative about curiosity, understanding, and continuous improvement—it engages people, not shame.

5. Maintenance and Training Loops: When failure indicates that team members lacked proper training in inspection or handling, that insight must loop back into personnel development—not just technical redesign.

These human-centred angles ensure your failure analysis doesn’t just diagnose—it transforms safety culture.

Summary: What Are the Steps and Why Do They Matter?

In plain English, here’s your failure-analysis recipe:

1. Start with history — you’re a detective, not a guesser.

2. Inspect visibly — clues are right there.

3. Use NDT — look inside without breaking things.

4. Analyze deep microscopy, chemistry, and microstructure matter.

5. Prove your theories — simulate or re-create.

6. Apply structured thinking — don’t skip corners.

7. Report smartly — support your findings with evidence and humanity.

8. Recommend wisely — focus on stopping it from happening again, not punishing.

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