Using Failure Analysis to Manage In-Service Occurrences

在工作中发生的事件有可能给一个组织造成数百万英镑的损失，不仅是业务损失，还有声誉损失. When an in-service occurrence takes place, 因此，尽快确定材料或产品失效的原因是至关重要的, and a solution is found and put into place without delay.

Failure analysis 不只是产品开发和系统改进的关键方面吗, it is essential to prevent future issues. Finding the root cause, or causes, for such an occurrence, however, 这不是一个简单的过程，不仅需要考虑所有相关的设计信息和使用寿命，还需要考虑应用类型以及任何可能导致或促成这种情况发生的环境因素.

The Rolls-Royce approach

劳斯莱斯拥有自己的专业工程师团队，为其核心业务提供潜在的服务. Working out of Rolls-Royce’s cutting-edge test facilities in Dahlewitz, Germany, the engineers carry out a wide range of unique materials testing, such as multiaxial fatigue capabilities, component vibration testing, and large-scale spin testing.

Through the Rolls-Royce/Element partnership, the Rolls Royce team are now bringing this expertise to multiple sectors, from energy and agriculture to automotive, aerospace, and transport, 提供劳斯莱斯每天测试其发动机的高质量测试能力和服务, materials, and components.

Understanding and replicating the occurrence 

管理服务中事件的第一步是尽可能多地从客户那里获取有关问题的信息, whether it is a blade crack, pipe rupture, sensor/connector failure, or something more unusual.

The Rolls-Royce engineers, each with different areas of specialist expertise, work together as a fully integrated product team and, if immediate data is lacking on the event, 是否进行预分析和预测量以整理必要的信息. 这可能包括分析和测量振动行为或执行模态分析和复制失效模式.

If required, 该团队有能力通过实验模态分析(EMA)测量安装状态下配件或组件的使用情况。.

During this early stage of the process, 关键目标是全面了解所讨论的系统. 这使团队能够继续分析和复制测试设置中的真实边界条件, 仔细地再现和观察问题，同时精确地匹配行为.

Work towards proof testing an improved design

该过程的下一阶段是验证失效机制，并就如何确定解决方案提出建议. At this point, 团队将开始对改进的设计进行验证测试，以提供量身定制的解决方案，以防止未来的服务故障.

Whilst the scope of a project will evolve as the testing is carried out, 团队总是从零开始，并随着测试的进展而调整和适应测试，目的是尽可能快地产生解决方案.

A highly flexible and multi-faceted approach 

确定产品或材料失效的方式和原因需要各种分析方法和工具的专家应用. Rolls-Royce’s extensive test facilities allow for a highly flexible, 多方面的方法，可以充分探索每一个潜在的原因和解决办法. 这包括能够从广泛的测试方法中进行选择，以确定最准确地复制组件的环境条件和现场振动的程序. This could include shock testing, high-level reverberant acoustic noise testing, 线性/角加速度测试以及一个或多个振动测试程序.

Combining multiple test types into a single testing program

该过程通常包括将多种测试类型合并到一个测试程序中，以分析同时应用的两个或多个因素如何影响测试结果. 例如，同时进行振动测试和静态加载.

该团队对不同方法的专业知识允许在极短的时间内计划和执行许多程序. The team’s piezo testing experts, for example, 能够计算任何频率并在30分钟内将系统组装在一起以测试组件吗, such as turbine blades, at an ultra-high frequency.

该团队在使用3D数字图像相关(DIC)研究高度复杂结构的振动行为方面也有经验。, a 3D full-field, non-contact optical technique to measure contour, deformation, vibration, and strain on almost any material. This can be extremely useful for intricate pipe systems, reducing the need for multiple strain gauges.

Depending on the in-service occurrence, 测试程序可能包含额外的失效分析程序，如:检查腐蚀的影响，包括残留物识别和腐蚀预防; fractography analysis in which the fracture surface is examined to determine the cause of the failure; chemical analysis to understand if the chemical composition of a material or the chemical processes used during manufacture may have contributed to the failure; and residue analysis which can help identify residual deposits on a material and determine whether this is a surface stain or a product of corrosion or material failure.

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