Materials Science

Materials Science is the study of materials based on the fundamental properties of matter, founded in the fields of chemistry and physics. All materials can be understood within context of atomic interactions and bonding and the thermodynamics and kinetics of chemical reactions. The traditional fields of Metallurgy, Ceramics and Polymers are all encompassed within the study of Materials Science.

GT ENGINEERING addresses the broad spectrum of how materials interact with their environment. Our staff includes individuals with degrees in materials science, metallurgy, and chemistry. We provide services to a broad clientele including manufacturers, processors, fabricators, the service industry and government. A substantial portion of our clients are in the insurance industry and with legal firms, for whom we provide forensic analysis on the cause and origin of failures and serve in the capacity of expert witness in legal proceedings.

Examples of the range of materials failures we have addressed:

• Fracture of a porcelain faucet handle that severely cut the hand of a surgeon; the failure was traced to a casting defect in the ceramic.
• Fracture of the neck of wine bottle while being opened, again causing a severe hand laceration; the failure was traced to use of a corkscrew on a multipurpose tool which initiated a crack in the lip of the bottle.
• Damage to window panes in high rise buildings, found to be the result of caustic corrosion due to deposits from inadequately sealed concrete.
• Lifetime analyses of wood stave piping, based on degree of fungal penetration and identification of fungal types.
• Nail failures in residential/commercial siding; issues included use of appropriate levels of galvanizing and chloride content in wood that had been floated in seawater.
• Brass coupling failures on hoses in an hydronic heating system; microbiological corrosion induced stress corrosion cracking due to biological activity in the heating system that produced ammonia.
• Numerous cases involving deterioration of rubber and plastic compounds; issues related to formulation of antioxidant stabilizer packages, adequacy of mixing stabilizers in the plastic resin during fabrication, and appropriateness for application in a particular environment.
• Cast iron water and gas pipeline fractures; typically a result of nearby construction that placed bending stresses on long-term service components or embrittlement through graphitic corrosion.
• Nylon safety lanyard separations; in one case the result of overloading due to retractable reel failure coupled with material degradation from contact with a weld rod, in another case environmental and ultraviolet light exposure degradation coupled with cuts in the material.

GT ENGINEERING brings to bear whatever analytical equipment that is required to arrive at a technically sound analyses of the failure. Our in-house capabilities include a metallurgical laboratory and materials testing equipment and an analytical chemistry laboratory with HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) , FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), and DSC (differential scanning calorimetry). We routinely apply SEM-EDS (scanning electron microscopy - energy dispersive spectroscopy) using a 'nature' SEM capable of working at modest vacuums for assessment of polymers. Additional experimental support is provided through long-time relationships with professors at the University of Washington.

For specific questions regarding forensic services in materials science at GT ENGINEERING, please contact Dr. Robert Clark: rclark@gt-engineering.com.