Failure Analysis

An exploration of the Tupolev Tu-104, a Soviet jet airliner that was essentially a bomber with a new coat of paint.

Discover how microscopic imperfections and environmental degradation dictate the lifespan of engineered structures, from bridges to jet engines.

The design of complex modern systems is fundamentally governed by the tolerances and constraints imposed by its weakest points.

Exposing the uncomfortable truths about the billion foreign aid industry - why it persists, who benefits, and what might actually work.

Engineering design is often seen as purely technical, yet it is a human-centered decision-making process. The structure of this process determines whether resources are converted optimally, or wasted on predictable failure.

How airline pilots and doctors turn failures into lessons: systematic post-mortems, owning design flaws, and documenting insights for future success.

A batch of polyimide-coated wafers undergoes a standard plasma-etching process to improve adhesion for subsequent layers. Post-process inspection reveals a dramatic darkening of the surface, shifting from a light green to a dark green hue.

Modern electronic systems often fail in environments where they are physically shielded from external pollutants. Thin-film resistors exhibit high-resistance or open-circuit conditions despite being housed in supposedly clean enclosures.

A series exploring chemical fingerprinting techniques in failure analysis, from atomic emission spectroscopy to surface-sensitive probes.

An aluminum housing arrives at the laboratory exhibiting a complete structural fracture. Initial visual inspection reveals a clean break, but the specified alloy must meet the rigid AMS4218 requirements of 7.0% silicon and 0.35% magnesium.