WA Branch - A ‘Cold Case’ Failure Analysis

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Speaker: Dr Steve Algie, S H Algie & Associates

Abstract

In this presentation you will learn how the chance finding of an old photograph was the prompt for a ‘cold-case’ failure analysis that ultimately revealed the cause of an almost-forgotten near-fatal incident. You will see examples of the importance of context on materials failure, how the Internet can be a source of information on materials that are no longer available for examination, and how plastic deformation can be analysed without the high-powered software. The presentation will also demonstrate why you should be alert to the danger that can come from having low expectations and raises questions about what might have happened if the failure had occurred today on an industrial work site.

About the Presenter:

Steve Algie studied metallurgy at The University of Newcastle and then went on to gain his PhD from The University of New South Wales. After working in steelmaking research in Australia and the UK, he spent 16 years as a member of the academic staff in The University of Queensland. During this period, he further developed his interests in materials engineering. He re-joined private industry with a move to Perth in 1989 in a research management role with CRA (later Rio Tinto). After leaving Rio, he worked for nearly twenty years as a consultant specialising in funding for R&D collaboration. Subsequently he has worked part-time for more than 10 years as a Chartered status Assessor for Engineers Australia. Steve has spent more than fifty years as a member of MA branch councils in Brisbane and in Perth, was National President 1996 and 1997, and received the Institute’s Distinguished Service Award in 1998.