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09/6/2005 -
Investigation of Aeronautical and Engineering Component Failures (2004)
by A. Venugopal Reddy
ISBN 0-8493-2314-2. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida. 2004. Hardcover. 348 pages. $129.95.
| REVIEWED BY: | Canan Hardwicke, GE Energy
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Often compared with autopsies in the medical field, failure analysis is a critical first step in identifying a problem that has occurred in a component of a mechanism or structure. Once the mode of failure is identified, appropriate corrective measures may then be taken to try to prevent similar future failures.
Investigation of Aeronautical and Engineering Component Failures by A. Venugopal Reddy proves that failure analysis is an absorbing exercise demanding depth and breadth in materials science and engineering. The author shows this through a compilation of personal investigative case studies, as well as a summary of the required knowledge and resources to be able to play in the field of failure analysis.
In a broad sense, the book is divided into two sections: Art and Science of Failure Analysis and Case Studies. The author assumes that the reader has already accumulated a certain level of understanding in metallurgy. The first part of the book is dedicated to introducing beginners in the field to failure analysis. The importance of ethics and the failure analyst's accuracy in root cause analysis are quickly emphasized. This first section also contains very short treatments of the most common failure analysis tools and experimental techniques, definition of fracture types and processing defects, and deficiencies in design and materials selection. Simplified flow charts and diagrams presented in Chapters 2 and 3 provide insights to how one might think about solving the case, and are worth mentioning here.
The last two-thirds of the book is a compilation of 37 case studies reported for the Defense Metallurgical Research Laboratory in Hyderabad, India, by the author over many years. Focused on aeronautical components, these case studies are organized into six main categories based on the principal causes of failure, such as improper material selection, fatigue, embrittlement, overheating, corrosion, and wear. Even though each case is written as a mini-research paper including experimental results and discussion sections with photos and microstructural images, the reader is not provided with all the comprehensive details of the part, assembly, material, metallurgical condition, time at service, environment that the part was operating in, etc. However, a list of references to the reports as well as other literature sorted into subject areas are provided to the reader at the end of the book. The examples of analyses of aeronautical component failures are disappointingly short, but informative for the novice engineers tasked with failure analysis. The case studies also attempt to provide examples of pitfalls to be avoided during failure analysis.
In conclusion, the book is well organized, thoughtfully written, and easy to follow. Even though it is not recommended as a textbook for classroom use, the case studies may be used as examples since the number of books with a collection of aeronautical failure analyses is limited. It can serve as a quick and fun read for a young aerospace failure analyst looking to get up to speed and see real-life examples; however, the benefit may be limited for an experienced engineer.
For more on Investigation of Aeronautical and Engineering Component Failures , visit the Taylor & Francis/CRC Press web site.
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