Failure Analysis

Diagnosing the factors involved in a technical failure is crucial for confirming what has gone wrong and preventing future problems with other similar components or systems.

Failure analysis optimises product design and quality, serving as a basis for maintenance program implementation, partial or full system reengineering, or the application of new production processes. Furthermore, by analyzing the product or facility involved in the failure, we can identify any responsibilities in litigation.

Independent experts for failure analysis

Applus+ Laboratories is a well-recognized independent entity providing an end-to-end failure analysis service for manufacturers. This includes appraisal projects in litigation or legal claims, for which we boast a wealth of experience.

Thanks to our exhaustive testing capabilities, we don’t just identify the root cause and associated responsibility of a failure, but we find the best solution to prevent it from happening again.

Our services include:

• Full analysis of the product or facility involved in the failure:
  • Service history, design and calculations
  • Manufacturing, certification and assembly
  • Maintenance and repair operations
• Field inspections and non-destructive testing (NDT)
• Analysis of the samples in a laboratory:
  • Physical-chemical characterization of materials 
  • Fractography (electron microscopy) and EDX microanalysis (elemental analysis of waste and contamination)
  • Protection system performance tests
• Reproduction of the failure conditions (laboratory simulation tests)
• Failure report
• Technical advice and process re-engineering
• Implementation of predictive maintenance programs

All the testing required for any failure analysis project

For more than 30 years we have been working with manufacturers, government offices and insurance companies in all types of failure analysis projects.

We boast a multidisciplinary team of technical experts and the ideal setups, in particular, for the physio-chemical characterization and microscopic examination of products. Our end-to-end testing capabilities include:

• Material characterization testing
• Mechanical testing
• Coatings and paints testing
• Corrosion and accelerated aging testing
• Metallographic specimen preparation
• Microscopic examination of samples
• Functional electrical, electronic and EMC testing
• Non-destructive testing (NDT)