Back > Advice and support
Failure analysis and expertise
More than just a simple diagnosis, a true driver of competitiveness!
The average cost of quality defects (losses, scraps, repairs) and production downtimes is estimated at between 10 and 15% of manufacturers' turnover.
Yet only one in four companies makes the decision to conduct failure analysis!
You are an industrial manufacturer, an operator, an insurance or a court-appointed expert, you are looking for a recognized and independent specialist in the field of product, component, equipment, structure, system or process failures.
Whether in an industrial setting or as part of a dispute, you are faced with damage or problems related to:
- Fracture, cracking, damage to metal, plastic, polymer, composite, elastomer, ceramic or glass parts
- Corrosion or anti-corrosion protection
- Operating anomaly (noise, vibrations, etc.)
- Abnormal wear
- Malfunction or loss of performance
- Ageing
- Mixing of parts
- Product or process non-conformity
- Leakage or loss of tightness
- Particulate pollution
- Etc.
You need to quickly identify the causes and prevent a recurrence by implementing an emergency action plan and long-term solutions.
As a key partner in failure analysis, Cetim's experts will assist you worldwide throughout the troubleshooting process through to the implementation of the most appropriate solutions.
Our methodologies, based on over 50 years of experience, are designed to meet your specific needs and challenges:
- On-site diagnosis in various environments and possible sample collection
- On-site investigations (NDT, metrology, instrumentation, etc.) and laboratory analysis (physico-chemical, fractography, etc.)
- Tests to reproduce the failure or damage
- Numerical simulation (Finite Elements, CFD, etc.) to understand or recreate damage situations
- Identification of solutions and the provision of a detailed report with documented conclusions, including our technical opinion and recommendations
- Implementation and follow-up of corrective actions
- We offer tailor-made solutions to improve the performance, safety, reliability and availability of your equipment and facilities, in order to ensure their dependability and integrity (Asset Integrity Management – AIM):
- Residual life assessment
- Monitoring and supervision
- Predictive maintenance plan
- RBI (Risk Based Inspection)
- Through-life support
- Etc.
- Training of employees to respond to deviations
With Cetim, an independent expert in identifying the root causes of failures and a technical support for court-supervised and insurance investigations for all industrial sectors, you can take advantage of these failures to reduce your OPEX-CAPEX.
Leveraging on the skills and experience of its materials and sector specialists, Cetim, as and Industrial Technical Centre, will provide you with:
- A neutral and independent approach to ensure the objectivity of our results
- A comprehensive and multi-skilled solution, which tackles the failure from its source through to the implementation of tangible solutions
- Access to the most advanced technologies, skills and resources: drones and robots, 3D scanning and simulation, non-destructive testing, tomography, etc.
- Solutions to evaluate the residual life, implement predictive maintenance and extend the operating and service life of your pressure equipment and machines: monitoring, industrialized solutions, etc.
- A high level of responsiveness and availability of our teams in France and abroad for your emergencies
- An organization and experts accustomed to insurance or court‑supervised investigations
Cetim and failure analysis:
- Over 50 years of experience, leading player in France and the Asia-Pacific especially in Asia through its Singapore-based subsidiary, Matcor.
- Over 200 experts worldwide
- More than 1,500 multi-sector investigations carried out every year
- Extensive knowledge of a wide range of materials (metals, polymers, composites, glass, ceramics, etc.)
- Over 25 laboratories with innovative equipment and various accreditations: Cofrac / NF EN ISO 17025
- Over 35 specific Cetim Academy® training courses dedicated to failure analysis in French and 12 in English
- A turnover of more than 9 million euros
Wear & failure of polymer and composite parts
Understand and anticipate plastic, composite and elastomer material breaksProfile and surface anaylsis following a failure
A metrology laboratory to control your faulty mechanical parts or devicesFailure of bolted, welded, riveted or adhesive bonded assemblies
Understand the origin of failure for robust assembliesFaulty parts on production line
Defective parts on the production lineVibratory failure analysis
Expert know-how in noise and vibrationsExpertise in tightness failures analysis
Our full range of expertise to help you quickly and accurately identify the causes of leaksFailure of thermofluidic installations and equipment
All our expertise for reliable thermofluidic systemsPressure equipment failure
Secure your pressure equipmentFailure, damage of metallic parts
Analyse and understand the failure of a part, product or metallic equipmentExpertise in corrosion and corrosion protection
Analyse and understand the corrosion of a part, product or metallic equipmentWear, abrasion, friction of metallic parts
Understand and characterise wear and friction phenomenaForensic and insurance expertise
Are you a court-appointed and/or insurance expert? Call on an independent partner to assist you in your investigations!Fracture mechanics
Analyse, understand and anticipate the failure of a component or piece of mechanical equipment to be able to judge its integrity.Failure analysis and expertise
More than just a simple diagnosis, a true driver of competitiveness!Failure or damage of mechanical components
Analyse and understand the failure of a component, transmission or a mechanical equipment
Fault analyses completed in double quick time
( Locapal)Tailored failure analysis training
( NTN Transmissions Europe)Cost effective corrosion control
( Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca)Comprehensive investigation on refinery equipment
( Perenco)Controlling the service life of electric cables
( Sycabel)Sealing braids undergoing unprecedented tests
( EDF)Offshore: Total hunts down micro-leaks
( Total E&P Congo)Analysis to guarantee train safety
( DPIA Colaert)Rapid analyses on a hydroelectric power plant
( Nam Theun 2 Power Company) ()Expert investigation of a century-old waterwheel
( Société des Forces Motrices de Chancy-Pougny)Diagnosis of a giant drain valve
( Tractebel Engineering)Predicting and avoiding Water hammers
( Polysius SAS)Expert investigation of gates for a dam in Morocco
( Tractebel)Adapting teeth to strain
( CGG)Checking leak tightness by acoustic emission
( Entrepose Contracting)A fault in Nantes dredger
( Port Autonome de Nantes Saint-Nazaire )Tracking down failures
( Jean Garnero, Court-ordered appraisal)Assessing integrity and repairability
( Stir)Elimination of uncomfortable vibrations
( SNCB)Reducing the vibrations of a coal breaker
( EDF Bouchain) ()A dual-shaded defect
( Grand Perret)Failure analysis
Mechanical breakdown, non-compliant product ? Our dedicated teams do failure analyses on a daily basis and give you assents and recommendations to help you understand the causes and origins of the problem.
