12/20/2023· Failure Analysis
By: Dr. Thomas Read
California materials failure laboratory, Read Consulting Failure Analysis Laboratory was engaged to determine the cause of failure of a 12 oz soda bottle. This bottle was said to have exploded and caused injury to a person. The bottle was said to have spontaneously exploded as the was being pushed into a cooler filled with ice.
2/17/2023· Failure Analysis
Design Defect Failure Analysis of Water Shut Off Valve
By: Dr. Thomas Read
When this type of valve is open a rubber seal around the valve stem prevents leaking. In this case, the poly acetate stem deteriorated due to the presence of hot chlorinated water This allowed water to leak out. Over time the leak rate increased.
10/24/2022· Failure Analysis
Titanium Surgical Screws Failure Analysis
By: Dr. Thomas Read
Read Consulting Failure Analysis Laboratory was engaged to determine the cause of failure of two titanium surgical screws used in corrective back surgery. These were both 6.5 mm diameter, 40mm long screws that were surgically implanted. in a patient, and they subsequently failed.
4/20/2022· Failure Analysis
Glass Coffee Pot Failure Analysis: Thermal Shock Failure Of Borosilicate Glass Coffee Carafe
By: Dr. Thomas Read
The fatigue failure initiated on the outside bottom where the carafe had been scratched with the abrasive scrub pad. As a result of cyclical thermal shock (between 195°C and 15°C), the cracks grew progressively till it reached a critical length. Glass thickness at the origins is approximately 3 mm. One failed after 12.
4/12/2021· Failure Analysis
Glass Failure Analysis: Glass Oven Dish Failure
By: Dr. Thomas Read
The annealed borosilicate glass pie plate failed as a result of “thermal shock”. There were multiple origins for the failure, and these all initiated at damage sites on the bottom of the Pyrex baking dish. It appears that the bottom of the pie plate was convex. Thus, setting the dish down and moving it on hard (abrasive) surfaces such as tile or granite counters created bottom “rim” damage.
9/6/2017· Failure Analysis
Liquid Impact Glass Failure Analysis
By: Dr. Thomas Read
As "water hammer" (i.e. liquid impact) has the potential to cause glass bottle failure, Read Consulting LLC created two such failures to study the resulting fracture surface details.
4/23/2015· Failure Analysis
Weld Failure Analysis: Chair Failure Due to Inadequate Weld
By: Dr. Thomas Read
Read Consulting was asked to determine why a welded chair failed and caused injury to the person sitting in it.
2/3/2014· Failure Analysis
By: Dr. Thomas Read
The root cause of the failure of customer returns of heated automobile rear view mirrors was investigated.
8/7/2012· Failure Analysis
Failure Analysis: Metal Fatigue of Automatic Machinery - Wafer Test Station
By: Dr. Thomas Read
During normal operation, the arm on an automatic wafer test station failed. Root cause failure analysis determined that the drive shaft on the right angle gear motor used to raise and lower the manipulator arm had failed first.
5/21/2012· Failure Analysis
Failure Analysis: Product Liability & Personal Injury Involving a Broken Grinding Wheel
By: Dr. Thomas Read
This grinding wheel was part of a product liability and personnel injury case. It was claimed that the subject wheel had unexpectedly failed (i.e. flown apart) and an escaping piece had hit the plaintiff in the face causing serious injuries. According to the user, the grinder with the wheel was purchased approximately one hour before the grinding wheel failure.
by Kirby Beck (co-author & contributor)
by Benjamin J. Cantor
by Michael J. Fagel, PhD
