Failure Investigation & Root Cause Analysis
Engineers, scientists, and investigators from Infinita lab are used by businesses across numerous industries to conduct forensic failure investigations. failure investigation specialists provide a wide range of services, from looking into individual components to figuring out the reason for system-wide failures.
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- Overview
- Scope, Applications, and Benefits
- Test Process
- Specifications
- Instrumentation
- Results and Deliverables
Failure Investigation & Root Cause Analysis Overview
Failure investigation is the structured, forensic process of determining why a component, product, or system failed – and, just as importantly, what needs to change to prevent it happening again. When a part fractures, a weld cracks, a coating delaminates, or an assembly stops working in service, the visible failure is only the end point. The investigation traces backward from that end point through the physical, mechanical, chemical, and environmental evidence to identify the actual root cause.
A proper investigation distinguishes between the failure mode (how the part failed – fatigue, corrosion, overload, wear), the failure mechanism (the underlying physical process), and the root cause (the design, material, manufacturing, or service condition that set the failure in motion). Getting these right matters because corrective actions aimed at the wrong level – fixing a symptom rather than the cause – leave the door open for the failure to recur.
Failure investigations draw on a wide range of disciplines and techniques: visual and fractographic examination, metallography, mechanical testing, chemical and elemental analysis, and electron microscopy, applied in a sequence that preserves evidence and builds toward a defensible conclusion. The results support corrective action, design improvement, supplier accountability, warranty resolution, and, where relevant, litigation and insurance matters.
Failure Investigation & Root Cause Analysis Scope, Applications, and Benefits
Scope
Failure investigation covers the forensic examination of failed components, products, and systems across materials and industries to determine failure mode, mechanism, and root cause. The investigation is tailored to the failure, drawing on the techniques needed to build a complete picture from the available evidence.
The scope typically includes:
- Background and evidence review – gathering the service history, operating conditions, loading, environment, and the circumstances of the failure before physical examination begins
- Visual and fractographic examination – documenting the failure and examining fracture surfaces to identify the origin, direction of propagation, and failure mode (e.g., fatigue striations, brittle cleavage, ductile overload, corrosion features)
- Metallographic analysis – cross-sectioning and microscopic examination of microstructure to identify material condition, defects, heat treatment issues, or microstructural contributors to failure
- Chemical and elemental analysis – verifying material composition, identifying corrosion products, contamination, or deposits using techniques such as SEM/EDS, XRF, FTIR, and spectrometry
- Mechanical and supporting testing – hardness, tensile, or other property testing to confirm the material met its specification
- Failure mode classification – fatigue, corrosion, stress-corrosion cracking, creep, wear, overload, embrittlement, manufacturing defect, and others
- Applicable materials – metals, polymers, composites, ceramics, coatings, welds, and assembled components
Applications
- Component and product failures – investigating fractured, cracked, deformed, or non-functioning parts to determine why they failed and how to prevent recurrence
- Weld and joint failures – examining failed welds, brazed joints, and adhesive bonds to identify whether the failure originated in the joint design, execution, or service loading
- Corrosion failures – identifying the corrosion mechanism (general, pitting, crevice, galvanic, stress-corrosion cracking) and the conditions that drove it
- Fatigue and fracture analysis – fractographic investigation of parts that failed under cyclic or sudden loading to establish the origin and cause
- Manufacturing defect investigation – determining whether a casting, forging, machining, or heat-treatment defect contributed to the failure
- Supplier and warranty disputes – providing objective, evidence-based findings to support warranty decisions or supplier corrective action
- Litigation and insurance support – independent forensic investigation and documentation for legal or insurance proceedings
- System-wide failure analysis – investigating failures that span multiple components or an entire system to find the originating cause
Benefits
- Identifies the root cause, not just the symptom – a structured investigation separates failure mode from root cause, so corrective actions address the real origin rather than the visible result
- Prevents recurrence – by pinpointing the design, material, manufacturing, or service factor responsible, the investigation gives engineering and quality teams what they need to stop the failure from happening again
- Evidence-preserving methodology – working from non-destructive examination toward targeted destructive analysis ensures the critical evidence (especially fracture surfaces) is documented before it can be compromised
- Multidisciplinary approach covers all failure types – combining fractography, metallography, chemical analysis, and mechanical testing means mechanical, material, chemical, and environmental causes can all be investigated within one coordinated effort
- Supports accountability and resolution – objective, defensible findings provide the basis for supplier corrective actions, warranty resolution, and, where needed, legal and insurance matters
Failure Investigation & Root Cause Analysis Test Process
Review and Document
Record the failed component’s condition, service history, operating environment, and failure circumstances.
1Examine the Failure
Inspect the component and fracture surfaces to identify the failure origin, crack path, and failure mode.
2Perform Detailed Analysis
Use metallography, SEM/EDS, chemical analysis, hardness, or mechanical testing to confirm the failure mechanism.
3Determine and Report
Identify the root cause, document supporting evidence, and recommend corrective actions.
4Failure Investigation & Root Cause Analysis Technical Specifications
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Materials Covered | Metals, polymers, composites, ceramics, coatings, welds, assemblies |
| Failure Modes | Fatigue, corrosion, SCC, creep, wear, overload, embrittlement, manufacturing defect |
| Visual/Fractographic | Stereo and optical microscopy, fracture surface examination |
| Metallography | Cross-sectioning, microstructural examination |
| Chemical/Elemental | SEM/EDS, XRF, FTIR, spectrometry as required |
| Mechanical Testing | Hardness, tensile, and other property verification as needed |
| Approach | Evidence-preserving, non-destructive to destructive sequence |
Instrumentation Used for Failure Investigation & Root Cause Analysis
- Stereo and optical microscopes for visual and fractographic examination
- Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) with EDS for high-magnification imaging and elemental analysis
- Metallographic preparation equipment (sectioning, mounting, grinding, polishing)
- Optical metallurgical microscope for microstructural analysis
- XRF and FTIR for material and deposit identification
- Hardness testers and mechanical testing equipment
- Spectrometry equipment for compositional verification
- Digital imaging and documentation systems
Failure Investigation & Root Cause Analysis Results and Deliverables
- Failure investigation report – documented failure mode, mechanism, and root cause, with the supporting evidence and the basis for the conclusion clearly set out
- Fractographic findings – identification of the failure origin, crack propagation direction, and failure mode from the fracture surface examination
- Metallographic and analytical data – microstructural findings, SEM/EDS results, chemical/elemental data, and any mechanical test results obtained during the investigation
- Corrective action recommendations – specific, actionable recommendations addressing the root cause to prevent recurrence
- Photographic and micrographic documentation – as-received condition, fracture surfaces, cross-sections, and analytical images
- As-received and chain-of-custody records – condition on receipt and handling history, important where findings may support disputes or legal matters
Frequently Asked Questions
Root cause analysis identifies the underlying reason a failure occurred rather than only addressing the visible symptom. The goal is to prevent the same or a similar failure from happening again.
Failure investigations help improve product reliability, safety, quality and manufacturing consistency. They can also reduce warranty costs, production downtime, customer complaints and repeated defects.
Common techniques include visual inspection, microscopy, dimensional analysis, chemical testing, mechanical testing and non-destructive examination. SEM, EDS, X-ray, FTIR and metallography may also be used.
Failures may result from material defects, poor design, manufacturing errors, contamination, corrosion, fatigue or excessive loading. Incorrect installation, handling, maintenance or operating conditions may also contribute.
A failure mode describes how the product failed, such as cracking, corrosion or electrical shorting. The root cause explains why that failure mode developed, such as improper material selection or excessive stress.
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