Failures to machine elements and structures may have far-reaching consequences with regard to safety and product liability.

Identify the cause of damage and failures and prevent recurrence

When a shaft breaks, a bearing fails or a weld cracks, it is rarely sufficient simply to repair the damage. You need to understand why the failure occurred and how to prevent it from happening again.

In this advanced course, you gain a stronger basis for analysing damage and failures in machine elements and structures and for assessing which mechanisms are involved.

The course equips you to deal with fractures, corrosion, wear, manufacturing defects and operational failures. You gain insight into both simple do‑it‑yourself techniques and more advanced analysis methods, enabling you to work more competently with fault‑finding, documentation and prevention. Participants are also encouraged to submit a damaged or failed component that may be included in demonstrations during the course.

Who is the course relevant for?

The course is relevant for anyone working with metallic materials in design, construction, operation, maintenance or assessment of damage and failures who requires more than a general introduction. It is particularly relevant if you need to identify the cause of failures, assess damage mechanisms or decide how future failures can be prevented.

Typical participants include:

  • engineering
  • technicians
  • design and construction personnel
  • operation and maintenance staff
  • professionals working with assessment of damage and failures

What you gain from the course

The course provides a stronger basis for understanding how damage and failures occur and how they can be analysed systematically. You gain insight into material properties, design factors, degradation mechanisms and investigation methods, enabling you to assess both cause and corrective actions.

You will learn to:

  • understand the relationship between material properties, design and failure causes
  • identify manufacturing‑related and operational failures
  • gain an overview of corrosion, wear and other degradation mechanisms
  • assess failures in bearings, shafts, bolts and welds
  • work with methods for damage and failure investigations
  • gain insight into risk‑based maintenance and prevention of future failures

What your organisation gains

The course provides a stronger basis for handling damage and failures more systematically and preventively. When the cause of damage is analysed more accurately, it becomes easier to avoid recurrence, reduce downtime and make better decisions regarding maintenance, repair and design changes

The course can contribute to:

  • improved clarification of damage and failures
  • stronger decision‑making for repair and prevention
  • fewer recurring failures and operational disruptions
  • improved alignment between material selection, design and operation
  • more robust maintenance and reduced risk of costly failures

Course content and structure

The course lasts 3 days. Topics include steel materials, metallurgical concepts, manufacturing‑related failures, operational failures, corrosion theory, corrosion types, wear theory, failures in bearings, shafts and bolts, methods for damage and failure investigations, risk‑based maintenance, cracks and fractures in welds, hydrogen‑related damage and failures in pressure equipment.

The course combines theory and practice and reviews causes of fracture, corrosion and wear in components and plant parts. Participants are encouraged to submit damaged or failed components with damage history, and selected topics are demonstrated through failure investigations.

Prerequisites and level

This is an advanced course for participants already working with metallic materials who require a more application‑oriented basis for analysing damage and failures.

Tailor the course to your organisation

This course can be delivered as an in‑company programme if you wish to strengthen competences in damage analysis, failure investigation and prevention within your organisation. Content and cases can be tailored to your components, facilities and operational challenges.

Contact us to discuss format, scope and customisation.