Failure Analysis

Matco Services, Inc., is a leading independent materials testing lab specializing in failure analysis and materials engineering.  We offer the most comprehesive array of test procedures from a variety of technical disciplines to identify the root cause and mode of failure for even the most complex of failures using state-of-the-art and routinely calibrated array of sophisticated laboratory test equipment.  This enables our diverse group of NACE certified Ph.D. corrosion scientists, professional engineers, materials and mechanical engineers, and specialists in concrete, rubber, and paints and protective coatings.   This multidisciplinary approach has led to Matco Services' being regarded as one of the most comprehensive laboratory testing facilities in the United States and in Canada.

As one of the very few in-house lab testing firms that specializes in root cause failure analysis, we investigate product liability issues involving medical/dental implants, and an array of other manufactured products from every industry including construction, aerospace, oil and gas, electric power, pipeline, eletronic circuitry, appliances, and sporting goods equipment.  As we are fully equipped with state-of-the-art lab testing equipment and technology, we also offer in-house witnessed testing that can be video taped if desired where there are litigation requirements.

This provides our clients with the benefit of first hand, customized lab testing that is often required in accidents or failures that often result from design, materials imperfections, problems in manufacturing or assembly, component misuse, corrosion, or in areas that are unknown and require skilled investigators to resolve these often times very complex failures.  As some of these failures are temperature related, such as creep ratcheting, rupture, and creep fatigue, experts that have a strong background in failure analysis is required.  Matco's multidiciplinary staff  (corrosion/mechanical/materials engineers, Ph.D.s, specialists in paints and protective coatings, chemists, and Professional Engineers) has years of engineering experience in failure mechanics that is unsurpassed.  As a result, our clients experience lower operating costs, increased productivity and increased profit margin.

Our failure analysis reports provide a clear indication of the root cause and mode of failure that is based on sound, scientific, materials and corrosion engineering practices that hold up in a court of law where testimony is required.  We perform both routine and customized lab testing as required by our clients using an array of state-of-the-art equipment that is calibrated on a routine basis.

Our well written reports include sophisticated imaging and enhanced optics that have been used to develop technical publications and presentations for various technical organizations such as the American Society of Materials Testing (ASTM), National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE), The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), universities (Perdue, Carnegie Mellon, University of Mexico, Duquesne), oil refineries in the United States and middle east, and manufacturing facilities in various parts of the world (China, France, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Kuwait) around the world.  Although there may have been a variety of underlying or contributing factors that may have resulted in a final failure, these are each considered and weighed in accordance with ASTM, NACE, ISO, SSPC and other technical standard practices that have established criteria.

Components commonly found at Matco Services' testing laboratory include:  boilers, heat exchangers, super-heaters, valves, turbines, turbine blades, engine parts, pressure vessels, pumps, condensers, piping systems and supports, generators, steam systems and components, wind turbines and components, wire cables, forgings, castings, welds, tools and dies, gears, FRP / PVC pipe, rebar, solar equipment, rubber gaskets, medical implants, pipelines, transmission, distribution and substation structures,  and an assortment of other component or structure type.

We also provide technical analysis, investigative research and development, and assistance in making the right material choices, particularly where the environment may be a consideration.  At Matco Services we often use a multidisciplinary approach that relies on the expertise of a diverse group of experienced, and highly qualified corrosion, materials and mechanical engineering professionals that have an advanced understanding of why materials or products fail in service.  This often leads to product improvement, the delegation of responsibility to determine liability, or to assist in finding alternate materials or approaches.

Matco Services, Incorporated is one of the very few failure analysis and materials testing labs that offers rapid turn-around times, high tech lab equipment, and a highly experienced and diverse engineering failure analysis team with problem solving abilities that can identify and resolve even the most complex of materials failures.

This enables our technical engineering staff to determine if a failure is caused by inappropriate material selection, design, fabrication or operating conditions. Major corporations that rely on MATCO expertise include US Airways, Allegheny Energy, Follansbee Steel, General Electric, Southern California Edison, Sony Electronics, ABB Power and many more.

Determination of the root cause of failure of systems or components can be very complex, and may require multidisciplinary testing and analysis. The first requirement for success is having a full-equipped modern test lab. Matco Services test lab includes light and electron microscopy (SEM, AES, TEM), mechanical and corrosion & electrochemical testing, environmental testing, chemical characterization, FTIR, X-ray diffraction, electronic testing,  and fracture mechanics/FEA analysis capabilities.

The other half of the battle is having the right staff in the lab and in the field. MATCO ‘s staff includes experienced PhD-level Metallurgists, FEA analysts, Mechanical Engineers, Materials and Polymer Scientists; Professional Engineers; Chemists; Paint and Coating Specialists; and NACE (National Association of Corrosion Engineers) Certified Corrosion Engineers, Materials Selection/Design, Coatings and Cathodic Protection Specialists. By combining the right lab equipment with the right staff, rapid and accurate determinations of the causes of failure can be made.

On-site Inspection & Investigations

Our certified team of inspectors can perform non-destructive testing on project sites to evaluate the integrity of large structures.  Our lab and field inspection team has performed such analyses nation and worldwide, and will travel to your project site at a moment’s notice for emergency evaluations. Such large structure evaluations have included off-shore oil platforms, wind power generation towers, concrete domes and stadiums, large underground cooling systems, and large elevated water towers.

Typical Projects

Although Matco Services' work is vital to its clients, it is rarely seen by the public. Here are some examples of recent jobs in which we provided the timely, competent, customer-oriented engineering analysis that made the difference.

Corrosion Failures

The investigation of corrosion failures can be very complex, and usually requires multidisciplinary testing lab and capable analysis to determine the root cause of failure. The end determination must be able to be made with a high degree of certainty to ensure that proper replacement materials are selected and that the most effective corrosion control methods are used. Experience is surely the most important ingredient to look for when choosing a materials firm to handle your corrosion control and failure analysis needs.

Corrosion Engineering & Failure Analysis

Experienced PE, PhD Scientists, NACE Certified in Corrosion, Coating, Design, Materials Selection & Cathodic Protection Specialists who will solve your corrosion problems at both initial design stages and in service. Matco Services' provides lab and field corrosion evaluations and failure analysis investigations for: (a) underground facilities (b) above ground facilities and (c) structures in marine environments.

Matco Services' can investigate corrosion or corrosion-related failures using state of the art techniques. Reports will be generated detailing corrosion failure causes and recommended means of prevention.

• Corrosion evaluation, life expectancy determination and cathodic protection of underground pipe lines, water mains, electrical poles and transmission lattices
• Corrosion mapping, detection of "Hot Spots", cathodic protection of reinforced concrete structures
• Coating/Paint  Investigations
• Electrochemical EIS , DC and AC Testing - Determination of cathodic protection criteria for non-ferrous alloys and stainless steels
• On-site Evaluation of tanks and corrosion mitigation by protective coatings and internal or external Cathodic Protection
• Corrosivity determination of soil, water and determination of corrosion mitigation techniques
• On-site coating evaluation and selection of coatings for specific corrosive environments by EIS 

Failure Analysis: Metallurgical support for a major commercial airline fleet (US Airways) that includes lab failure analysis investigations, corrosion investigations, and quality control testing. Bridge and construction failure investigations are routinely performed at Matco Services.

Corrosion Engineering: Cathodic protection system design and installation for a submerged ocean tunnel for the off-loading facility of the largest liquified natural gas (LNG) process facility in the United States. Our certified team of corrosion investigators can perform testing to evaluate the integrity of pressure vessels. These include refineries, underground and above ground oil,  gas and chemical process facilities   Our team has performed such analyses nation and worldwide, and will travel to your project site at a moment's notice for emergency evaluations.

Paint/Coating Analysis: On-site and laboratory investigation of paint delamination failures (flaking and peeling) on galvanized structural members of several major stadiums in the United States.

On-site Inspection: Our certified team of inspectors can perform non-destructive testing on project sites to evaluate the integrity of large structures.  Our team has performed such analyses nation and worldwide, and will travel to your project site at a moment's notice for emergency evaluations.  Such large structure evaluations have included off-shore oil platforms, wind power generation towers, concrete domes and stadiums, large underground cooling systems, and large elevated water towers.

Enviromental Testing: Comparative testing of the resistance of pharmaceutical labels to environmental stresses (MFG, Humidity, and QUV testing) for a major drug retailer to determine what labels held up the best.

The original prescription label with typical label text imprinted on stock is shown on the left, while the faded label after heat and humidity testing is shown on the right.

Fire Investigation: Same-day analysis of the effects of a truck fire on the superstructure of a major highway bridge to determine whether or not the highway could remain open.

Explosion Investigations: Failure analysis of a gas main explosion that caused causalities.

Power Plants: Failure analysis and remaining life determination of boiler components in the power industry.

Implant  Materials: Electrochemical corrosion evaluation and failure analysis of implant materials such as hips, knees, stents, etc. to improve products and performance.

Galvanized Steel: How its microstructure and galvanized layer chemistry affect its appearance and corrosion resistance. Prevention and evaluation of storage rust, cracking of galvanized layer, failure of painted galvanized steel. Cabinet salt spray testing, EIS testing of painted galvanized steel and metallurgical characterization tests are routinly performed for galavanized and painted galvanized steel panels.

Utility and Light Poles & Lattices: Inspection and evaluation of galvanized, corten and painted carbon steel utility, light poles/lattices. Failure analysis, fatigue investigations, protective coating evaluation, life expectancy determination, corrosion evaluation, underground, ground level and above ground were included in this investigations.

R&D: Research & Development of new materials, coatings and sensors for the pipeline, construction/chemical  industry.

Finite Element Analysis

The finite element method is a powerful numerical tool for analyzing mechanical components and systems. The representation of a component or system mathematically with finite element, generally involves a discretization of the structure into many small pieces, e.g. small brick-like elements (hence the name of the method).

The solution to the equations that govern the behavior of the structure is approximated on each and every brick. The collective effect of all the bricks is taken into account during a step that synthesizes the solutions for each brick to one solution valid for the entire structure. This global solution represents the solution to the equations that govern the structure's behavior. The finite element method provides an accurate tool to predict and evaluate component response, elastic or non-linear plastic, subjected to thermal and structural loads.

Thermal analyses may include convection, conduction, and radiation heat transfer, as well as various thermal transients and thermal shocks. Structural analyses may include all types of constant or cyclic loads, mechanical or thermal, along with non-linearities, such as opening/closing of contact surfaces, friction, and non-linear material behavior.

Failure Analysis Team

Our team is comprised of certified and experienced personnel from a variety of technical disciplines including: mechanical engineering, cathodic protection, paint inspection, chemistry, metallurgy, and materials science.  We also have a vast array of lab and field testing equipment. All of Matco Services' testing equipment (lab and field) is calibrated on a routine basis in accordance with both national and international standards, and is ready to be put to use at a moment's notice.

Our team includes professional engineers, materials, corrosion and mechanical engineers, electrochemical specialists,physicists, chemists, coating specialists, FEA Specialists and NACE Certified Materials Selection/ Design / Corrosion/Coating Specialists.  Below are some of our Team Members:

Dr. M. Zee (*)                                            Mr. Ed Larkin

Dr. George Bayer                                      Mr. Geoff Rhodes (*) Dr. Bavarian

Dr. Bavarian                                              Mr. Marty Latona

Dr. Kasraie, PE                                         Dr. Huping Xu

An illustrated formal report documents the lab results, field results, or both, of the investigation. If necessary, Matco Services' personnel can usually be on-site almost immediately when requested during emergency situations.

Matco Services, Incorporated is conveniently located halfway between the Pittsburgh International Airport and downtown Pittsburgh, and only a few yards from an exit on the Parkway West (I-279/US22-30), so reaching our laboratories and offices is quick and easy. Please feel free to call to discuss your problems and arrange a visit to our laboratories.  Matco Services, Incorporated also has offices in Davie, Florida, and Omaha, Nebraska.

If you need emergency or rush services, Dr. Zee can be reached at 412-952-9441 (cell phone).