Failure analysis is the investigation of the cause of a failure, usually to take corrective action to fix the problem and prevent future failures. Failure analysis is performed across all branches of the manufacturing industry to avoid future asset and product failures while protecting people and the environment from potentially dangerous risks.

Reasons for failure analysis

The failure analysis process has several advantages, including financial, legal, and safety outcomes.

Identify the root cause of the failure

Understanding the root cause is frequently the most critical aspect of the failure analysis process. This entails gathering data to determine whether the failure was caused by a manufacturing or material defect or misuse.

Avoid asset or product failures

Once the root cause of the failure has been identified, corrective actions can be taken to prevent the problem from recurring.

Enhance future products and procedures

Manufacturing processes and product designs can be improved because of a better understanding of the failure mode. This means it’s possible to prevent the problem from recurring, avoid costly legal action or replacements and protect a company’s reputation.

Prevent financial losses and penalties

Failure can be costly due to outages, a halt in production, or even legal action. Failure analysis can help prevent these issues from worsening or potential losses from occurring in the future.

Meet product and asset standards

Failure mode and effects analysis can aid in the future compliance of manufacturing processes, components, products, or assets.

Determine failure liability

Failure analysis will not only identify the root cause of the failure, but it may also assign liability. This can be used in court in the event of litigation.

Contact MBA Technologies today

MBA Technologies provides failure analysis services, including visual inspection, chemical analysis, failure mode effects analysis (FMEA), surface and functional component wear, coating characterisation, microscopy, on-site metallography, non-destructive (NDT/NDE) and destructive testing.

These services include failure investigation to determine the root cause of the problem, repair procedure development to fix the problem and prevent it from happening again, and independent and impartial dispute and litigation support. Contact our team today to assist with any project for more information about our failure analysis services.

 

Gear drives perform functions such as increasing motor torque, decreasing motor speed, and changing the direction of rotating shafts. Of course, the most critical components of a gear drive are the gears themselves. The following section discusses some of the most common types of gears.

Spur gears

Spur gears transmit power via parallel shafts. Spur gear teeth are parallel to the shaft axis, causing the gears to generate radial reaction loads but not axial loads on the shaft. Spur gears are noisier than helical gears because they have a single line of contact between the teeth.

Helical gears

Because the teeth of helical gears are oriented at an angle to the shaft, more than one tooth is in contact, allowing helical gears to carry a greater load than spur gears. Helical gears are smoother and quieter to operate because of the load sharing between teeth. Helical gears are commonly used in enclosed gear drives.

Double helical gear

Two helical faces are placed next to each other with a gap between them to form a double helical gear. These gears eliminate thrust loads and have more tooth overlap, resulting in an even smoother operation.

Herringbone gear

Herringbone gears are similar to double helical gears but lack the gap between the two helical faces. As a result, these gears are typically smaller and best suited for high shock and vibration applications. However, herringbone gears are expensive and difficult to produce, so they are rarely used.

Bevel gears

Bevel gears are used to transfer power from one shaft to another at a 90-degree angle. They are generally more expensive and cannot transmit as much torque as a parallel shaft arrangement.

Contact MBA Technologies today

MBA Technologies prides itself on providing quality engineering quickly and at competitive rates. We work closely with our customers to ensure their projects are completed to their satisfaction. With almost a decade of extensive experience, we can produce large quantities of gears in a short period and small amounts of gears at highly competitive prices. For more information about our gear cutting services, get in touch with our team today to assist with any project.

What is circuit simulation?

MBA Technologies considers various design parameters when creating a successful board. In addition, designers use circuit simulation to understand the dynamic behaviour of their circuits to ensure the design is accurate.

Before manufacturing and product deployment, circuit simulation is used to test and verify the functionality of electrical or electronic circuits. It’s used in everything from microelectronics and integrated circuits to power electronics and electrical power distribution networks. Circuit simulation can be performed on linear and non-linear circuits, depending on the application.

Circuit simulation entails:

• Mathematic modelling of the circuit elements or devices.
• Defining circuit or network equations.
• Procedures to solve these equations.

Linear and non-linear circuits

In a linear circuit, the current flowing through it is directly proportional to the voltage on the circuit.

In a non-linear circuit, the current flowing through it is not directly proportional to the voltage in the circuit, resulting in a curve-shaped graph.

How circuit simulation works

Circuit simulation works by creating a circuit with a schematic editor and then subjecting the circuit representation to constant or varying inputs. The outputs of the resulting signals are recorded and analysed.

A circuit simulator is designed to simulate the behaviour of circuit components to produce signal outputs that are identical to the circuit if it were in use.

Different types of circuit simulation

There are various types of circuit simulation.

Analogue simulation

Analogue circuit simulation uses precise representations of an electronic circuit to obtain accurate signal outputs corresponding to the inputs and can be linear or non-linear. Analogue circuit simulations can be run in various modes, including:

• AC (frequency domain)
• DC (non-linear quiescent)
• Transient (time-domain)

Analogue circuit simulation employs algorithms to analyse circuit behaviour in various modes. To predict circuit performance, these algorithms use the process of solving matrices.

Digital simulation

Digital circuit simulation uses circuit behaviour models generated by hardware description language (HDL). Compared to analogue simulation, this technique allows for the simulation of much larger circuits in less time and with fewer computational resources.

Mixed-signal simulation

The mixed-signal circuit simulation combines analogue and digital simulation techniques.

Contact MBA Technologies today

For more information about our circuit simulation services, get in touch with our team today to assist with any project.