At the end of the course students attending this course are expected to: - know and apply the methodology used to organize the analysis of a failure event - learn the theoretical knowledge and practice of using experimental set up for analyse a failed component - know and apply tips & tricks to use evidences derived by the failure investigation - know and apply the rules for building relations between the failure events and the potential sources for failure -know the way to organize documents presenting the evidences of a failure investigation and to present the results of the investigation and propose corrective actions - develop active team working abilities - Use of virtual reality for learning purposes

All knowledge derived by courses on general engineering and materials engineering, as by the study plan for industrial engineering and especially for Materials Engineering for Industry 4.0. Basic knowledge on materials science, mainly materials structure and microstructure, mechanical and thermal properties, materials processing and fracture mechanisms.

The theroetical lessons will review: - the rules and practice for failure analysis - the most common causes for failure analysis in mechanical and biomedical engineering application - Fabrication methods and production cycles of components that will be subject of the failure analysis laboratory - Review of instruments that can be used for failure analysis investigation, aim of the experiments, types of information that can be derived, limits and benefits of the different techniques The laboratory events will be organized as follows: - Preliminary practical lessons to learn the use of instruments (e.g. stereomicroscopy, light optical microscopy, microhardness tester) - Formation of groups; assignement of case study - Virtual Reality (VR) laboratory session to make steps of the investigation that cannot be performed in real experimental environment. Students will be provided with VR viewers and will work in VR environment for starting the investigation. - Session of discussion between students in the groups to identify the protocol of experiments to be done when exiting from the VR and entering into the real laboratory environment - Experimental characterization of samples related to specific studies with real laboratory instruments, like stereomicroscopy, light optical microscopy, microhardness tester, scanning electron microscopy, etc. Students will be free to use the instruments of the teaching laboratory in a supervised teaching lab. For the use of some specific instruments, professors involved in the course will act as operators under the requests made from students. - Session of discussion between students to organize the presentation of results to the professor(s).

The course is organized as follows: -30 h of lessons addressing the theoretical aspects useful for developing failure analysis investigation -15h of classroom exercise reviewing techniques, tips and tricks typically used for failure analysis investigation -15h of laboratory exercise. Students will work first with Virtual Reality (ca. 6h) to perform the steps of investigation that are typically performed on the field or that, if performed badly, can destroy important clues for the investigation. After the completion of the VR path students will be provided with real test coupons to be analysed using the real laboratory (ca. 9h) for teaching available at DISAT premises. For both VR and real lab. students will be divided in small groups and will work autonomosly, although supervised. The team work will alternate VR or Real sessions with classroom discussion among the team and with the possibility to consult the professor(s). The team work will be concluded by preparing a report and presenting the team work in front both of the professor(s) and of rest of the class.

Mobley, R. Keith. Root Cause Failure Analysis. Burlington: Elsevier Science, 1999. Print.

Lecture slides; Video lectures (current year); Multimedia materials;

Exam: Optional oral exam; Group essay; Computer-based written test in class using POLITO platform;

The grading system includes evaluation of the project report and related discussion (max 16/30); written test (max 14/30); the discussion of the project report and the written test are mandatory, whereas the oral test is optional. The written test (1 hr) is based on a questionnaire with six multiple choice questions (max 6/14), two open questions (max 8/14) that are addressed to verify the student’s learning and knowledge of the theoretical course content. The evaluation of the multiple choice questions considers only the correct answers; no negative points are applied to wrong or missing answers. In multiple questions, one or more options can be correct (it is always declared how many entries are correct). The use of any support material is not allowed for the entire duration of the test. The minimum mark for passing the written exam is 8/30. The team project for failure investigation will be explained during the lessons and along classroom exercise with related examples of procedures and ways to present the results (both as a report and as an oral presentation or a video). The deadline to deliver the project report is 1 week before the written exam date. The minimum mark for passing the project reporting is 10/30. To pass the exam, both parts, i.e. the technical reports and the written test, must achieve a sufficient passing grade independently. The oral test is optional. Oral test is addressed to verify the student’s learning and knowledge of the course content and consists of an interview, approximately 15 minutes long, on the course program. Should the oral test be undertaken, the final mark could be increased or decreased by a maximum of 2 points with respect to the sum of the scores of the written test and of the team project. Should the team project report assessment be below the minimum threshold, students of the team will have to work again on the report and improve it in its written form. A discussion of the updated version of the report is not forecast. A new deadline for the project re-submission will be given to the team. https://didattica.polito.it/pls/portal30/gap.pkg_guide.editGapProp?p_id_guida=16453&p_cod_ins=01OGSMZ&p_nome_ins_modulo=Failure%20analysis%3A%20methodology%20and%20practice&p_mat_docente=3181#myModalOk Should the team projects report assessment be above the minimum threshold, students of the team will have to accept it.

In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.