Objective 07: Corrosion Failure Analysis

Question 1

What must be the response after a failure has occurred?

Answer 1

A structured effort must be applied to analyze the failure and determine the initiating cause

Question 2

Failure Analysis

Answer 2

A step-by-step approach that attempts to identify the single event or condition that began a chain of events, leading to the failure.

Question 3

What is the point of a Failure Analysis, since it occurs after the failure has already happened?

Answer 3

If a root cause can be identified and eliminated, that removes or restricts the opportunity for all other events in the failure chain to occur

Question 4

What are the 4 main phases in a complete Failure Analysis?

Answer 4

1. Component Failure Analysis
2. Root Cause Investigation
3. Root Cause Analysis
4. Learning

Question 5

Component Failure Analysis

Answer 5

Analysis of the specific equipment that failed to identify the general nature or cause of the failure and the operational events that may have influenced it

Question 6

Root Cause Investigation

Answer 6

A totally objective and more in-depth discovery of the facts, leading to unbiased statements of what occurred leading up the event, during the event, and surrounding the event, including human factors

Question 7

Root Cause Analysis

Answer 7

Further inquiry, evidence and conditions are analyzed, and a final statement of the root cause is formulated

Question 8

Learning (Failure Analysis)

Answer 8

Determination of what has been learned from the failure and what must be done to prevent a recurrence

Question 9

What is the process of a Corrosion Failure Analysis?

Answer 9

1. Organize the analysis
2. Record conditions at the failure site
3. Determine operating conditions at time of failure
4. Review construction and operation history
5. Obtain samples
6. Evaluate samples
7. Examine Failure Locations
8. Assess the corrosion-related failure
9. File a Corrosion Failure Report