Life Lessons Learned through Failure Analysis

A high strength low alloy steel pressure vessel failed while being cleaned with a phosphoric acid based solution or jell. The failure induced release of residual stresses from the vessel was sufficient to project vessel fragments across the room. Fortunately, no one was injured because of the fracture. The failure analysis became a senior project that, on completion, was presented to a group of metallurgical engineering seniors, graduate students and professors. The failure mechanism was easily established because of the well-known susceptibility of high strength steels (RCH>62) to hydrogen embrittlement. During the presentation, one of the listeners, in trying to avoid falling asleep, was reading a cola can and noticed that phosphoric acid was among the ingredients listed. Further investigation demonstrated that cola beverages readily cracked Charpy V-notch samples fabricated from the vessel steel and stressed to near the yield point. Lessons learned as a consequence of this "discovery" are discussed as are lessons from a flock of geese, a collection of spiders and a phone conversation with a grandchild at Appalachian State University. A conclusion from these lessons is that all aspects of life are intimately connected and that every day living provides excellent strategies that may enhance professional experiences if one reflects on the events encountered.