Our Engineering Critical Assessment (ECA) Study service provides a rigorous fracture-mechanics-based evaluation of flaws, defects, and anomalies in mechanical equipment to determine their acceptability for continued safe operation. The assessment is typically applied where fabrication or in-service inspection identifies cracks, weld defects, laminations, or other imperfections that exceed standard workmanship acceptance criteria. ECA enables informed decisions without unnecessary repair or replacement, while maintaining safety and regulatory compliance.

The assessment integrates material properties, flaw geometry, loading conditions, residual stresses, and operating environment to evaluate crack driving forces and resistance to fracture. Both brittle and ductile fracture modes, as well as fatigue crack growth, are assessed under relevant operating and transient load cases. The study defines critical flaw sizes, allowable defect limits, and inspection or monitoring requirements, with transparent documentation of assumptions and conservatism.

The outcome of the ECA study is a technically defensible basis for accept-or-repair decisions. Clients benefit from reduced repair scope, minimised downtime, and optimised inspection planning while ensuring structural integrity and operational safety. The assessment supports fabrication acceptance, in-service integrity management, life-extension decisions, and alignment with risk-based inspection and fitness-for-service programs.