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MS4652
Failure Analysis
Academic Units
3
Semester
2
Pre-requisite(s)
Nil
Co-requisite(s)
Course instructor(s)
COURSE AIMS

The aim of this course is to introduce materials and engineering fundamentals required to carry out failure analysis (FA), covering topics from the FA procedure to the materials principles behind failures, recommendations towards failure prevention, etc. This is a platform on which you will learn and apply materials science and engineering knowledge to identify the basic modes of materials failure and investigate the root cause of the failure. With a proper understanding of how the materials and the systems fail, you will be able to make proper suggestions to mitigate or prevent future failure through improved design or a more appropriate choice of materials. This course intends to enhance your knowledge and application skills required as an MSE graduate and to increase your competitiveness in the job market.

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, you (as a student) would be able to:

  1. Understand the basic procedure in a failure analysis process
  2. Identify the failure mode and its mechanisms
  3. Choose appropriate materials testing and characterization tools for failure analysis
  4. Use engineering software to assist failure analysis
  5. Determine the root cause and recommend failure mitigation / prevention
COURSE CONTENT
  1. Introduction to Failure Analysis: The roles of failure analysis and its general procedures.
  2. Types of Failures and Failure Mechanisms: Various types of failures that occur in materials, including mechanical failures, corrosion, fatigue, and creep, etc., and their mechanisms.
  3. Materials Properties and Failure Criteria: Properties of materials, e.g., mechanical, thermal, electrical, and chemical properties, and failure criteria.
  4. Testing and Characterization Techniques: Testing and characterization techniques used in failure analysis, including microscopy, spectroscopy, and mechanical testing, etc.
  5. Use of Engineering Software in Failure Analysis: Introduction of engineering software (e.g., finite element software) to assist the analysis of engineering failure and to improve the design.
  6. Root Cause Analysis and Prevention: Identifying the root cause of a failure by examining the evidence, analyzing the data, and developing hypotheses through case studies. Recommendations to prevent or mitigate similar failures.
Reading and References

The listing ng below comprises the foundational readings for the course and more up-to-date relevant readings will be provided when they become available.

  1. ASM Handbook Vol. 11 Failure Analysis and Prevention & Vol. 11A Analysis and Prevention of Component and Equipment Failures, ASM International, 2021
  2. Fractography and Failure Analysis, Jorge Luis González-Velázquez, Springer, 2018
  3. Failure Analysis of Engineering Materials, Charlie R. Brooks and Ashok Choudhury, McGraw-Hill, 2002
  4. Understanding How Components Fail, D. J. Wulpi, ASM International, 2013
  5. A first course in the finite element method, Daryl L. Logan, Cengage Learning, 2022
  6. Failure Analysis of High Technology Devices, Daniel J. D. Sullivan and Eric J. Carleton, De Gruyter, 2022
  7. Failure Analysis: Fundamentals and Applications in Mechanical Components, Jose Luis Otegui, Springer, 2014
  8. Handbook of Materials Failure Analysis with Case Studies from the Construction Industries, Abdel Salam Hamdy Makhlouf and Mahmood Aliofkhazraei, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2018
NTU School of Materials Science and Engineering

50 Nanyang Avenue, Block N4.1, Singapore 639798, Email: mseacad@ntu.edu.sg, Web: www.ntu.edu.sg/mse

@2023 Nanyang Technological University School of Material Science and Engineering