LFI undertakes the forensic investigation of incidents involving the failure or damage of components and structures manufactured from ceramic or refractory materials.

Ceramic and refractory materials are often selected for their unique mechanical or physical properties, for example high hardness and wear resistance (e.g. cutting tools, coatings), resistance to aggressive chemicals, and resistance to high temperatures (e.g. furnace linings, crucibles and heating elements).

By applying its expertise in materials examination, testing and characterisation, LFI can determine the issues that have caused the failure or damage of ceramic and refractory material components and structures.

Typical causes or factors in such incidents may include:

A materials or manufacturing-related defect, such as contamination, inclusions, voids or casting/shaping defects.
Mechanical failure, e.g. excessive or unintended loading.
Chemical attack and degradation
Improper design or materials selection

Some examples of the types of incidents we investigate are:

The fracture of a refractory furnace lining due to defective manufacture
The contamination and damage sustained by ceramic floor tiles due to improper use
The failure of ceramic bearing elements due to excessive load
The fracture of an alumina ceramic hip joint due to wear

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However, this is only a very small sample. Please contact our expert team to discuss any incidents that fall within this or any of our other specialist areas

Alernatively, you can find our details on our contact us page.