Steel is a remarkable material in that its microstructural characteristics can be altered by heat treatment, and consequently its properties and performance. Heat treatment would typically include i) heating of the steel (to an alloy dependent temperature), ii) soaking at that temperature, iii) cooling of the metal at some pre-determined cooling rate, and then iv) […]

Even in normal times, conventional pressures in the economy and in industry can lead to fluctuating production demands, temporary downturns, or even unexpected shutdowns, but with the current COVID-19 pandemic and lock-down restrictions this pressure is now even greater. There may be a need for many companies to consider localised closure and hence temporary mothballing […]

Within the realm of steel alloys there is a vast range of alloys and properties, and indeed, as is well known, the carbon content plays a significant role. Together with other alloying elements the carbon content is crucial with regard to the capacity to heat treat the alloy, and the heat treatment condition in which […]

An essential part of summer in South Africa is the ubiquitous meeting point around a braai, to enjoy a steak, a good chop, a stuk wors, a piece of fish or even a skilpadjie or two. Other countries try to emulate this South African tradition, with the Australian ‘barbies’, gas barbecues in America, or related […]

The use of bolts in engineering applications is ubiquitous: they are used everywhere, and in general the Engineering public think they understand their usage. This perception is broadly correct when the loading on the bolt is symmetrical and axial, but this is not strictly true when the loading is not perfectly axial, or accommodates some […]

In marine environments galvanic corrosion cells are readily formed between two dissimilar metals that are electrically connected and exposed to a common electrolyte (i.e. seawater). Provided the galvanic potential of the materials (i.e. of the anode and cathode sites) differs by more than approximately 250 mV, the more active metal (the anode) will be oxidised […]

In marine environments, galvanic corrosion cells are readily formed between two dissimilar metals that are in electrical contact and exposed to a common electrolyte (e.g. seawater). Provided the galvanic potential of the materials (i.e. of the anode and cathode sites) differs by more than approximately 250 mV , the more active metal (the anode) will […]

In marine environments, galvanic corrosion cells are readily formed between two dissimilar metals that are electrically connected and exposed to a common electrolyte (e.g. seawater). Provided the galvanic potential of the materials (i.e. of the anodic and cathodic sites) differ by more than approximately 250 mV, the more active metal (the anode) will be oxidised […]

As an organisation that often deals with engineering component failures, we have come across a number of situations where section thickness changes and temperature variation effects have led to premature failures caused by differential cooling. The phenomenon is related to differential expansion and contraction during cooling for components of varying thicknesses. This mechanism can, however, […]

The failure of engineering components as a result of cyclic loading induced fatigue is widespread and probably one of the major causes of component failure. Some estimates indicate that close to 80% of all engineering failures are primarily due to fatigue. The fracture mechanics approach to quantifying fatigue, presented in our August 2017 and July […]