Category Archives: Materials testing laboratory

Editor’s Choice 2020: Journal of Failure Analysis and Prevention

posted April 2021

The Journal of Failure Analysis and Prevention editorial team recently announced this year’s Editor’s Choice articles, showcasing six of the high-quality articles that were published in the journal in 2020. One of these top articles was authored by former MEE intern, Reid Schur.  Reid interned with us in 2016 and is currently a Materials Science PhD candidate at the University of Washington conducting research on metal additive manufacturing. Congratulations Reid.

All of the 2020 Editor’s Choice articles are free to read and can be shared with colleagues.

• “A Fractographic Analysis of Additively Manufactured Ti6Al4V by Electron Beam Melting: Effects of Powder Reuse” by R. Schur, S. Ghods, E. Schultz, C. Wisdom, R. Pahuja, A. Montelione, D. Arola, and M. Ramulu, Vol 20(3), June 2020, p 794-803 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11668-020-00875-0

• “Effects of Axial and Multiaxial Variable Amplitude Loading Conditions on the Fatigue Life Assessment of Automotive Steering Knuckle” by K. Reza Kashyzadeh, Vol 20(2), April 2020, p 455-463 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11668-020-00841-w

• “UV Aging Effects on Polycarbonate Properties” by S. Redjala, N. Aït Hocine, R. Ferhoum, M. Gratton, N. Poirot, and S. Azem, Vol 20(6), December 2020, p 1907-1916 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11668-020-01002-9

• “Failure Analysis of an Ambulance Cathode Ray Tube Monitor Bracket” by Eli Vandersluis, Alan Machin, Doug Perovic, and Comondore Ravindran, Vol 20(1), February 2020, p 23-33 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11668-020-00804-1

• “Failure Investigation of a Blast Furnace Top Gas Recovery Turbine: Chronology and Mechanism” by Kaushal Kishore, Susovan Das, Himangshu Mandal, Omji Anand, Goutam Mukhopadhyay, Manashi Adhikary, and Anup Kumar, Vol 20(4), August 2020, p 1376-1387 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11668-020-00951-5

• “Investigation on the Crack and Thinning Behavior of Aluminum Alloy 5052 Sheet in Stretch Flanging Process” by Surendra Kumar, M. Ahmed, and S. K. Panthi, Vol 20(4), August 2020, p 1212-1228 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11668-020-00922-w

Filed under: ASM, Failure Analysis, Materials Science Engineers, Materials testing laboratory,

Materials Science Engineering Education

posted April 2021

 

As an alumnus of the Metallurgical Engineering program (now Materials Science and Engineering department) at Iowa State University, CEO Larry Hanke has maintained a close relationship with the department and a keen interest in the education of future Materials Engineers. For almost 10 years, Larry has been invited back to campus once a year to present a lecture to junior and senior engineering students on various topics related to his 30-plus years of experience as a Consulting Engineer and Small Business owner. He lectured remotely last year, but was back on campus in March to present a lecture on Engineering Ethics for the Materials Engineering Professional Planning course and another on Fracture Analysis for a Failure Analysis course. He enjoys the questions and feedback from the students as he connects their textbook studies to his real world experiences.

 

Filed under: Materials testing laboratory,

ASM Failure Analysis Handbooks

posted March 2021

The newly revised ASM Handbook Volume 11 – Failure Analysis and Prevention has been released.  MEE Professional Engineers, Larry Hanke, Ryan Haase and Neal Hanke all contributed to this latest release.  Larry Hanke, P.E. co-authored two articles, Scanning Electron Microscopy for Failure Analysis and X-Ray Spectroscopy in Failure Analysis and was Division Editor for the section on Tools and Techniques in Failure Analysis. Ryan and Neal were editors and reviewers for multiple articles within the handbook including the Chemical Analysis section.

ASM Handbooks are a comprehensive multi-volume reference work covering every area of materials specialization. The staff at MEE recognizes that contributing to their professional organization benefits not just their personal career goals but the overall engineering and scientific community.

MEE Engineers Larry Hanke , Ryan Haase, and Neal Hanke

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed under: Materials testing laboratory,

25 Years and Still Growing

posted January 2021

 

We are celebrating 25+ years at MEE.  Sometime in our first year we were given a small potted plant for our lobby.  Twenty six years, three facilities expansions and one re-potting later, MEE and the schefflera are going strong!

 

 

A tree grows in MEE.

 

Filed under: Materials testing laboratory,

MEE Intern Updates

posted October 2020

Reid Schur

Congratulations to former MEE intern, Reid Schur, on the publication of his paper Fractographic Analysis of Additvely Manufactured Ti6A14V by Electron Beam Melting: Effects of Powder Reuse in the June 2020 issue of the Journal of Failure Analysis and Prevention.
Reid was a senior in Mechanical Engineering at Washington University in St Louis when he interned with us in 2016. Currently he is a PhD candidate in the University of Washington Materials Science and Engineering Program.

Atte Kadoma

And, congratulations to 2017 MEE summer intern Atte Kadoma as she pursues her PhD in Engineering Sciences at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.  We first met Atte as a high school student in 2014 when she attended ASM Materials Camp. She kept in touch with us while attending Iowa State University where as a student in the Materials Science program she won a Goldwater Scholarship, the nation’s premier undergraduate scholarship in mathematics, natural sciences and engineering.

 

We always enjoy following the career paths of our summer interns especially when we see the paths have lead them to Materials Science Engineering research.

Filed under: Materials testing laboratory,

On-site Testing and Analysis of Steel Tanks

posted August 2020

Sample preparation of steel tanks.

 

Sometimes projects involve samples or artifacts too large or too valuable to remove or cut for evaluation in MEE’s laboratories. In these cases, in situ evaluation is required.

For this project, MEE was asked to evaluate the functional integrity of large steel tanks that had been exposed to elevated temperatures from a fire. Associate Engineer, Henry Ahrenholtz, is seen here preparing a field metallographic specimen. The tank surface was prepared by grinding, polishing and chemical etching to reveal the microstructure of the tank material. A replica of the prepared surface was made and then examined using a portable microscope. A Materials Engineer’s specialized knowledge of the material properties and behavior under certain environmental conditions combined with metallographic expertise in the field provided valuable information for the client to aid in assessing any damage to the tanks caused by fire.

 

 

Filed under: Light Microscope, Materials Science Engineers, Materials testing laboratory, metallography, Sample Preparation,

Webinars Now Available to View

posted July 2020

MEE staff, Larry Hanke, Dieter Scholz and Dan Grice recently presented webinars for ASM International. Both webinars are now available to view for free from the ASM International website. You will need to fill out a registration form before being directed to the webinar.

Advance Specimen Preparation for Metallography

Fractography and Fracture Analysis: History and Development

A few comments from attendees of the Fractography and Fracture Analysis Webinar:

“A great overview of historic fractures. Well worth my attendance.”

“Please convey my sincere Congratulations to Dan & Larry for their superb professional presentation

“Highly systematic historical information regarding Fracture Analysis. Excellent user-friendly Presentation. Job Well Done”

Larry Hanke P.E. in 1995 at the JEOL5800. Image from the Fractography and Fracture Analysis: History and Development webinar.

 

 

Filed under: Materials testing laboratory,

Fractography and Fracture Analysis Webinar

posted July 2020

Join MEE Engineers Dan Grice, P.E. and Larry Hanke P.E. next Tuesday, July 28th, for an ASM International webinar discussing the history of fractography and fracture analysis. Register today!

The study of fractures over the years has had an important role in materials engineering to improve product performance and reliability. This presentation will review the history of fractography, including the historical development of the science, changes in the analytical tools, and some historical case histories showing how fractography has been used over the past 100 years.

Dan Grice, P.E. and Larry Hanke, P.E.

 

Filed under: Fracture Analysis, Materials Science Engineers, Materials testing laboratory, Presentations,

Dan Grice, P.E. Awarded ASM International Bronze Medal

posted July 2020
Dan Grice, P.E.

Dan Grice, P.E.

 

MEE Senior Materials Engineer, Dan Grice P.E., was awarded the 2020 ASM International Bronze Medal.  Established in 2014, the honor of Bronze Medal of the Society recognizes ASM members who are in early-career positions, typically, 0 to 10 years of experience, for their significant contributions in the field of materials science & engineering through technical content and service to ASM and the materials science profession.  Grice was recognized “For enduring contributions to ASM International through the Emerging Professionals Committee and the Failure Analysis Society, and the enthusiastic promulgation of materials engineering technology.”

Congratulations Dan!

Filed under: Materials testing laboratory,

Metallography Webinar

posted June 2020

Join MEE Senior Scientist Dieter Scholz and Principal Engineer Larry Hanke for a webinar titled “Advanced Specimen Preparation for Metallography” on July 7th at 1:00 PM CDT. The webinar, hosted by , will cover tripod polishers, target sectioning tools, and broad beam ion milling.

For more details and to register for the webinar: https://lnkd.in/eceSZX2 

Materials Evaluation and Engineering Inc.

Larry Hanke, P.E.

Materials Evaluation and Engineering, Inc.

Dieter Scholz

Filed under: Materials testing laboratory, metallography,