Fractography in Failure Analysis

Fractography is an indispensable component of the failure analysis of metallic materials and can give useful information regarding loading states, defects and general material condition. Once a crack or fracture has been identified, initial information regarding the conditions of failure becomes immediately available. When examining an exposed fracture surface with the naked eye, fracture conditions such as brittle/ductile behavior, crack initiation sites and loading conditions can be readily observed. Since the early 1940’s, when high magnification examination of fracture surfaces first occurred, until today with the availability of electron microscopy and EDAX detection, the scale at which useful information can be gleaned has become increasingly smaller. Important and unique data is available in the macro, micro and intermediate scales using both photon and electron. In this short review, cases investigated by the author illustrating the significance of fractography to the practice of failure analysis are presented.