Chapter 17 - Application of pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in failure analysis for the identification of organic compounds in chemical, rubber, and automotive industry

Abstract

For failure analysis, there often is a lack of information about the component itself, such as chemical composition, temperature resistance, possible contaminants, or mechanical properties. The damage range usually is limited and not always homogeneous. Very often, only small amounts of samples are available, which may be important for recognizing the cause of damage. Traditional analytical techniques used for characterization of high molecular weight organic compounds, such as thermal analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), have limitations or are not sufficiently sensitive to demonstrate the change of the structure and the resulting dysfunction of used materials. The analytical pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) has extended the range of possible tools for the characterization of synthetic polymers/copolymers or rubbers in failure analysis in various industrial fields of application, predominantly in the automotive industry.