Materials engineering & testing

Forensic engineering and material failure analysis

We evaluate the suitability or interaction of materials to support design, maintenance, and investigations.

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Key contact

Lee Hedd

Business Development Manager

Ottawa, Canada

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The suitability or interaction of materials is evaluated to support design, maintenance and forensic investigations. Metallurgical, weldability and mechanical issues are considered to ensure compliance with codes and standards, enhance construction and repair solution success and reduce the potential for in-service degradation and failure.

Experience and research-inspired expertise support vintage and modern material focused design and repair solution development, specification and documentation.  Stress analysis, material behaviour (strength, fatigue and fracture), testing and analysis are employed in root-cause failure analysis.

Our services:

  • Procedure Development, Review and Optimisation
  • Procedure Testing and Qualification
  • Material Selection and Specification
  • Hydrogen Cracking Inspection Delay Time and Susceptibility
  • Evaluation
  • Forensic Investigation
  • Fitness-for-Service Assessment
  • Process and Consumable Development
  • Productivity Audits and Training
  • Standards and Specifications Development
  • In-Service Weld Procedure Trials

In-house capabilities

  • Mechanical test laboratory for material and component testing 
  • Metallurgical facility for microstructure and forensic investigations
  • Full-scale testing for pipe with pressure, evaluating degradation or anomalies
  • Welding laboratory for procedure, material and equipment development
  • Field instrumentation and data acquisition
  • Novel Test Procedure Development/Application

Standard Testing Services

  • Tensile Strength
  • Toughness (CTOD, J-R, SENT, CVN)
  • Fatigue (SN, Strain Life, Crack Growth Rate)
  • Weld (Bend, Tekken, WIC)
  • Hardness

 

Full-Scale Testing Services

  • Dent With and Without Weld, Metal Loss, Cracks, Assessment and Performance Evaluation
  • Wrinkle and Wrinkle Bend Assessment and Performance Evaluation
  • Feature Assessment based on ILI data defining integrity and inspection interval
  • Fatigue Crack Growth in Pipe Body and Long Seam
  • Pressure Testing
  • Leak Rate Evaluation
  • In-Service Material Characterization

Finite element analysis (FEA)

We use a range of powerful in-house and proprietary FEA software tools to analyse complex machine structures and components for stress, deflection, buckling, and fatigue, which provides an efficient and reliable way of identifying, addressing and mitigating problems to reduce downtime, increase safety and boost productivity. Our experience of applying FEA within the mining sector includes a state-of-the-art analysis of conveyor dynamics.

Finite element analysis

Full-scale testing of pipeline anomalies

We have developed full-scale testing facilities and procedures to evaluate the strength and fatigue life of damaged or degraded (cracked, rusted, dented, buckled or wrinkled) pipe.

We also conduct leak rate testing to support the consequence evaluation of through-wall cracks.  The facility is used extensively to create and test dents (simulated and removed from service) with and without corrosion and weld interaction to evaluate fatigue life.

Pipeline

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