Constructing Competence in Failure Analysis: A Technical and Human Factors Guide

A technical, epistemological view of failure investigations and analysis with a focus on metal alloys and polymers for professionals, college students and the experts who intersect with investigations.

Debbie Aliya wrote the popular article on the failure analysis process for the ASM Handbook Volume 11 back in 2002, and it's one of the few articles from that authoritative work that remained virtually unchanged for the 2021 edition. People around the world rely on this article for their in-house failure analysis procedures. Now, the descriptions of each step of the investigation have been expanded to show the nitty-gritty details of everything from how to see important features, how to negotiate the scope of the project, how to select specimens for nondestructive and destructive testing, which NDT and mechanical and microstructure test methods to use, and more.

Constructing Competence in Failure Analysis is the preeminent technical guide detailing a comprehensive new six-step method for performing fractography, conveying new mental structures so as to extract the most data possible from the macro-scale inspection, and allow the practitioner to overcome difficulties related to damaged fracture surfaces. A new structure for classification of damage categories is also presented.

This visionary compendium details how human factors enable or distract investigators. It facilitates better scope negotiations, provides specialized vocabulary enhancing clarity with technical and non-technical clients alike. It includes many thought provoking real-life FA stories, making the book suitable for a capstone course in failure analysis for multi-disciplinary engineering programs.

It's a big book full of images and instruction. If you love digging into how things fail, then you will love exploring this book. It is your definitive career-long companion. It shines light on basic practical issues and powerful conceptual structures. By including epistemology, it promotes mastery of the technical body of knowledge and promotes justifiable confidence in your Failure Analysis conclusions.

Debbie Aliya has 35+ years experience in the development and use of applied critical and creative thinking skills in failure analysis, materials selection and characterization, and specification preparation for structural applications. This includes engineering consulting as well as working in and managing operations for commercial mechanical, metallographic and chemical testing labs. Ms. Aliya has spent decades planning curriculum, teaching and mentoring others in the following topics: engineering consulting, failure analysis, materials testing, engineering philosophy, and heat treating. She is a reviewer of technical work (such as, Reviewer, "Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance") as well as an expert witness.