Since 1983 Touchsone Research Laboratory has provided fast, accurate and affordable failure analysis to a wide range of industries – from underground mines to advanced spacecraft.

No-Bake Sand Failures in a Foundry

A foundry had a problem when a gray, putty-like substance was found to periodically clog the feed system of a toluene-sulfonic acid, no-bake sand system.

A GC/MS (gas chromatography/mass spectrometer) analysis of the foreign material identified it as a polymer of toluene-sulfonic acid.
An examination of the MSDS sheet found the material to be incompatible with ferrous-based materials.

That allowed investigators to trace the problem to stainless steel fittings on the delivery system that catalyzed the polymerization of the toluene sulfonic acid.

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Failure Analysis Examples

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