When failures occur Aiken engineers determine root cause(s) and propose solutions to help clients get back up and running. Furthermore, Aiken advises clients on how to avoid similar problems in the future.

The following case illustrates Aiken’s dedication to providing a client with a complete solution when critical applications are at stake.

Case: Fatigue cracks were discovered in a 29,000-ton press used to manufacture critical components for jet engines. Aiken was contracted to determine the cause of the fatigue cracks and predict the residual functionality of the damaged components. The malfunction was created through overloading and general misuse of the equipment. Aiken compiled and considered Finite Element and Fatigue Analysis data, which revealed the remaining life of the cracked components to be less than 5 years. A senior engineer at Aiken Engineering predicted that fatigue cracks probably existed in other critical components as well. This judgment proved correct, subsequent inspections revealed more comprehensive damage. Aiken engineers worked with the client to solve this huge problem. They redesigned the critical components, assisted in the manufacturing and QA/QC for the new components, and implemented an ongoing inspection program to monitor crack growth until the new components could be installed.

Industry Served: Forging

Tools: Failure Analysis, Finite Element Analysis, Design, Inspection, Code Review