Machinery failure analysis are essential for the development of industrial maintenance operations. This type of study ensures the highest quality in materials and equipment, thus promoting business productivity. In this post we explain which are the most frequent damages and what can be done to avoid them.
What are failure studies?
Failure analysis study the breakdowns that occur in machines, in order to determine what their causes are and what measures can be taken to improve procedures and prevent accidents to property and people. This way of working supposes a very important cost saving in sectors such as construction or industry.
In this type of investigation, technicians specialized in forensic engineering carefully analyze the characteristics and the state of conservation of the parts affected in each failure. In this way, they identify the reasons for material failures and propose solutions to implement more efficient, safe and durable design and manufacturing processes, thus promoting proper industrial maintenance.
Types of material and machinery failures
Each production area has its own performance and resistance requirements, based on the conditions of the environment in which the equipment operates and on the efforts they have to withstand. Beyond these specificities, there are a series of common defects in the devices and in the elements that make them up. Among the most common injuries, breakages, cracks, deformations, expansion, wear or corrosion stand out.
This class of pathologies pose a serious challenge for industrial maintenance, since they can lead to the total or partial loss of functionality in the components. In addition, machines also often suffer from problems with the motors and with the pump, gear, lubrication, ventilation, compression, electronic circuits, gas turbines or bearings systems.
What are the most frequent causes?
Some of the common reasons for material failure are the use of low-quality substances, errors in equipment design and manufacturing, and faulty industrial maintenance. In this sense, it is important to ensure that the workers in charge of the machinery receive adequate training and training to avoid, as far as possible, human errors.
On the other hand, there are problems that appear over time due to the interaction with environmental agents such as humidity, temperature, dirt or pressure. Likewise, many failures are related to the fatigue of the materials, to incidents in the supply of electricity, water and compressed air or to the phenomenon of vibration, whose force can exceed the tolerance levels of the devices.
Tips for industrial maintenance
Without having to wait for accidents to occur or for machines to become unusable, it is advisable to adopt some measures aimed at facilitating the good state of conservation of the equipment:
Schedule Maintenance Failure Analysis
These are examinations that are carried out periodically to verify that the parts remain in good condition and work correctly. Maintenance failure analyzes have to be carried out frequently, being incorporated into routine checks. It is the best way to anticipate breakdowns, being able to replace defective components before severe and difficult-to-repair damage occurs.
Conduct life tests on materials
They are used to estimate the probability of failure in materials over time, make a prediction of their useful life and manufacture reliable parts in a standardized way. They include destructive and non-destructive tests that test the physical, chemical and mechanical characteristics of each element through its exposure to normal and extraordinary conditions of use.
Incorporate the results into the production chain
Companies should take advantage of the data set and performance indicators obtained from maintenance failure analysis and forensic engineering. These results have to serve as a reference in the design and manufacturing phases to fix the variables that have triggered errors and to optimize the various processes.
Ultimately, failure analysis in machinery are essential to guarantee a quality, safe and efficient industrial maintenance, thus allowing the viability of all types of activities and sectors. If you are interested in knowing the latest news about science and technology in the industry, do not hesitate to continue reading our blog.
And if you need to solve a problem in your production process and you do not know where it is generated, we determine the mode and cause of failure in production, product or market claims thanks to our specialty, forensic engineering.