27 Jul 2018

Observe first-hand the failure analysis laboratory skills used to uncover the circumstances leading to failures

Join Intertek AIM in Santa Clara, CA for our Failure Analysis Laboratory Workshop on Friday, July 27, 2018 from 10am to 3pm.  This workshop will provide expert presentations covering a variety of applications that showcase the knowledge and experience of our Failure Analysis Laboratory team.  We will provide you with information and insight into how our laboratory meets your needs to reduce equipment failures and operating maintenance. Our failure experts can help you save capital expenditure cost while reducing environmental impact, secondary damage, and injury.

Where: Santa Clara, CA
When: Friday, July 27, 2018
Time: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

 Register Today

Failures of systems and components often result in costly downtime and can cause damage to facilities, the environment, and people.  Increasingly, modern industry and regulatory demands place a tighter operating envelope around nearly every product or process.  These increased constraints push materials and processes to the limit.  The rapid pace of innovation as well as a backlog of fixed infrastructure maintenance and upgrades is a perfect recipe for sudden catastrophic failure.  At such critical times, skillful testing, investigations and reconstructions are needed to uncover the circumstances leading to failure.
 
Presentations will incorporate selected case studies relating to:

  • Failure Analysis
  • Fractography & Microstructural Evaluations
  • Corrosion Control & Analysis
  • Welding & Joining Process Evaluation
  • Materials Selection
  • Incident Investigation
  • Fitness for Service Evaluation
  • Risk Based Inspection

Demonstrations will cover many techniques using a wide variety of lab assets, including videoprobes, vibration, microscopy, strain monitoring, metallurgy, polymer science, ceramics, mechanical and electrical systems, color video probes, etching and polishing equipment, Scanning Electron Microscope/Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy, and fuel sampling devices.

Our decades of industry experience, the use of sophisticated failure analysis techniques, and specialized laboratory equipment combine to identify the active damage mechanism(s) and the root cause(s) of failure. This translates into long-term cost saving benefits as well as improved safety and reliability.
 
We work to your unique requirements.  Whether you need a simple failure analysis or a comprehensive root cause investigation that involves intensive laboratory and field work, our diverse team of experts has you covered.
 
Registration cost is $99 /per attendee. Deadline to register is July 25, 2018. (Registration link will be provided in a separate email later.) Lunch will be provided.

Click the button below to register. We look forward to hosting you at our Failure Analysis Laboratory Workshop in Santa Clara, CA!

 Register Today

For more information on the Intertek Failure Analysis Laboratory Workshop or about our other services, contact the Intertek AIM Engineering Services Team by emailing us at aimengineering.events@intertek.com, or give us a call at 832-593-0550. 

About our Presenters

Demonstrations and talks will be conducted by Eric Sullivan, Nazarali Merchant, John Hasier, Taylor Kelly, and Mike Cronin.

Eric Sullivan, P.E.
Principal Engineer

Mr. Sullivan has over 37 years of metallurgical engineering experience in the fields of materials, metallurgical, and welding engineering, non-destructive examination, and failure investigation. Mr. Sullivan specializes in the analysis of mechanical equipment, engines, combustion and steam turbines, and devices that are involved in complex accidents, losses, fires, and explosions. Mr. Sullivan is also experienced in providing testimony for deposition, mediation, and trial.

Nazarali Merchant, Ph.D
Material Scientist

A PhD Materials Scientist with over 20 years of diverse experience in Alternative Energies, superconductors, Fuel Cells, Batteries, Solar Cells, Ceramics, Metallurgy, Welding Consumables and Processes, Semiconductor Packaging and Printed Circuit Boards. Trained in Six Sigma, DOE, Robust Engineering, Project Management and Organization Learning. Work thus far has resulted in 6 US patents, 3 US patent applications under review, and over 25 technical publications.

John Hasier, Ph.D.
Principal Consultant, Corrosion

Dr. Hasier earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he gained experience as a Metallurgical Research Engineer. Other experience includes mechanical testing (tensile, compression, bending, fatigue, creep, hardness, toughness), thermomechanical process simulation (Gleeble System), cryogenic, high pressure, and high temperature systems, liquid rocket engines, and electrochemical testing of energy storage materials.

Taylor Kelly, Ph.D.
Director, Energy Storage

Taylor Kelly earned her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Houston investigating the mechano-electrochemical coupling behavior of stretchable lithium ion batteries. She brings her deep understanding of battery operation and failure to the energy industry, providing consulting and technology assessment services to energy storage manufacturers, developers, and consumers. Her recent work includes root cause analysis of battery failures and evaluating how changes in battery operation affect degradation and life.

Mike Cronin
Director, Mechanical Engineering

Mike Cronin specializes in material stress analysis, fracture mechanics analysis and non-destructive testing. He is an expert with ANYSYS computer modelling software for stress analysis.  The accuracy of his analysis results is enhanced by the combination of his theoretical background with his knowledge of mechanical systems. He has over 40 years’ experience and is a member of the American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and American Welding Society (AWS). Mike graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Physics and a B.S. in Mathematics.  In his spare time, he gained an A.A. in Computer Studies, Programming and an A.S. in Computer Science from Ohlone College. His recent work has involved fracture mechanics based suitability for service analyses of large high pressure steam turbine rotors and research on the effects of residual weld stresses on fractures.  Mike’s forensic engineering experience includes analyzing and testifying on failures of pressure vessels and piping, buried and undersea pipelines, solar plant support structures, wind turbine blades, and turbine rotors.