Construction or component failures can have many causes. Such degradation can be the result of corrosion, bad weld design, the use of inappropriate materials or other shortcomings.
Our objectivity and multidisciplinary expertise ensure the identification of the problem’s true root cause.
The Belgian Welding Institute (BWI) has the knowledge and the equipment to find the true cause. We have the necessary qualified people and equipment for non-destructive testing, metallography, fractography and corrosion testing. On top of the failure analysis to find the route cause and type of corrosion, leak or breakage, the BWI can advise on preventive measures to take.
Area of expertise
Visual examination is the first step towards finding the route cause of a problem. On-site inspections can be planned if needed.
Non-destructive techniques, such as magnetic and (dye) penetrant testing, can be very valuable during failure investigation, for example for dertermining the exact location of cracks or leaks.
Metallographic sectioning of material provides additional elements of information during technical assessment of, for example, a crack indication. Metallografic analysis trought cross-section also proves to be an added value for corrosion investigation, as to identify the depth and level of material deterioration.
A scanning electron microscope (SEM) can produce a high resolution image of a broken specimen. Our EDX-detector enables us to retrieve the composition of corrosion products.
A replica is a non-descructive testing method during which a ‘print’ of the steel microstructure (the replica) is taken.
BWI offers inorganic as well as organic water quality analyses, results of which may be relevant in investigating damage from corrosion.
Determination of the chemical composition of a material.
Belgian Welding Institute (BWI) has a well equiped lab to perform several standardised tests (ASTM, EN ISO or other).
As a standard test does not always represent the real in-service conditions, we will be happy to assist you in developing a test tailored to your application.
