Identifying Failures & Finding Resources for Failure Analysis: A Step by Step Guide

1. Finding Types & Causes of Failure in Your Area

Identify a Topic

Ask yourself “What area am I interested in focusing on?”
Instead of trying to focus on your entire field, think about how you can narrow your focus to a topic within that field (i.e. orthopedic implants, powertrain systems, bridges, wind turbines, etc.). If you have a specific failure in mind, make sure that it did not occur too recently. It takes time for failures to be analyzed and reports on those failures to be produced.

• A google search may help you scope your topic.
• You can also browse some of these journals for ideas
  • Case studies in engineering failure analysis
  • Engineering failure analysis
  • Journal of failure analysis and prevention
  • Journal of quality and reliability engineering

Once You Have Identified a Topic

Now that you have a direction to head, there are several resources you can use to find the types of failures that relate to that topic.

• Books

If the topic is broad, you may be able to locate a book (or chapters in a book) that provide an overview of the types of failures. To do this, use the UF Catalog.
For example:

• • For orthopedic implants: Mechanics of biomaterials fundamental principles for implant design
  • For powertrain systems: Handbook of materials failure analysis with case studies from the aerospace and automotive industries
  • For bridges: Beyond Failure : Forensic Case Studies for Civil Engineers
• Journal articles
  You can also glean this information from journal articles. Review articles can be especially helpful and giving you an overview. For example, for powertrain systems: Fault Diagnosis Techniques for Electrical Powertrain System-A Review
  • Use one of the Libraries’ broader engineering databases to find articles related to failures for your topic
    • Compendex & Inspec
    • Engineering Collection
    • IEEE Xplore
  • Also try the same searches in databases specific to your field of engineering
  • You can also search one of these journals
    • Case studies in engineering failure analysis
    • Engineering failure analysis
    • Journal of failure analysis and prevention
    • Journal of quality and reliability engineering

2. Finding Testing Types, Testing Methods, and Standards

Reviewing books and articles on your topic may give you an idea of the testing types & methods associated with the failures in your area as well as the standards employed. Here are some library resources that can help you explore these more:

• Books – these more general books can give you an idea of testing types & methods that exist for failure analysis
  • Applied Engineering Failure Analysis: theory and practice
  • Practical Engineering Failure Analysis
  • Practical Engineering Failure Analysis
  • Design Reliability 
• Standards – the library can give you access to some standards
  • ASTM Standards – conduct a search and then select “My Subscription” from the Refine Your Results menu to see what UF has access to
  • IEEE Standards
  • What if I can’t get access to the standard I need? Try these alternatives to extrapolate the information you need for your paper:
    • Search for the standard in Google or TechStreet – many times there is a preview available that will supply you with sufficient information about the standard
    • Search the journal literature for the standard to find articles that apply the standard
    • Search the web for the standard to find open access reports that apply the standard

3. Identifying a Case to Analyze

Ask yourself “Am I trying to find information on case that is too recent?”

Currency is usually good, but in the case of failure analysis, time needs to elapse in order to allow for analyses to be conducted and reports/articles to be published.

You may have already have found an ideal case through your searches of the tools listed above, but if not, use these tools to search for articles that discuss cases:

• Use one of the Libraries’ broader engineering databases
  • Compendex & Inspec
  • Engineering Collection
  • IEEE Xplore
• Also try the same searches in databases specific to your field of engineering
• You can also search these journals
  • Case studies in engineering failure analysis
  • Engineering failure analysis
  • Journal of failure analysis and prevention
  • Journal of quality and reliability engineering

4. Investigating that Case

The articles and reports you locate in the section above should feature the methods of testing and standards are applied to the failure. If you need more information regarding standards, here are some options:

• Standards – the library can give you access to some standards
  • ASTM Standards – conduct a search and then select “My Subscription” from the Refine Your Results menu to see what UF has access to
  • IEEE Standards
  • What if I can’t get access to the standard I need? Try these alternatives to extrapolate the information you need for your paper:
    • Search for the standard in Google or TechStreet – many times there is a preview available that will supply you with sufficient information about the standard
    • Search the journal literature for the standard to find articles that apply the standard
    • Search the web for the standard to find open access reports that apply the standard

5. Recommendations for that case

At this point, you should have all the resources you need and you can glean from the information already gathered.