When identifying the failure mechanism is not enough.

When forensic materials engineers/scientists are retained in legal matters, the mandate generally revolves around identifying the root cause of an incident or an issue with individual components or an entire system. In many cases, identifying the failure mechanism by which a component fractured (fatigue, for example) is but one part of the mandate and does not provide the required information for the legal client to pursue their case. Classifying a “failure” simply as a product defect, manufacturing defect, misuse, or installation-related issue can also be misleading and will be discussed using real-life examples and the “5-Whys” technique.