Communication

-9Taking good pictures requires attention to detail in several

areas. Key areas include avoiding bright backgrounds,
keeping parts organized, proper distance between the camera
and the subject, taking many pictures, cleaning parts
carefully, avoiding shadows and reflections, and holding still
while depressing the shutter button. Following are several
images that illustrate these key areas.

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The photographer should avoid excessive contrast between
the subject and the background. Here is an example of a
dark object photographed against a bright background.
Cameras often have an automatic exposure control and adjust
exposure downward when light is bright. If the specimen is
dark and the background is bright, the camera may adjust to
give a good picture of the bright background, leaving the
specimen too dark to see details clearly. The picture of the
returned oil pump is too dark and doesnt show a lot of
detail.

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This is the same lighting but the oil pump has been placed on
a black mat, decreasing the contrast and the light coming into
the lens. Notice how the camera has automatically opened
up to show the details of the pump much better.

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Communication

- 10 In failure analysis work it is important to keep each part in

its original position. Even bolts should be kept in their
respective positions. Some technicians use a piece of
cardboard or a piece of paper with a simple drawing to
keep parts organized. Other ideas include tagging, taping
or writing on parts to identify their relative positions.

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When taking pictures, the analyst should treat the viewfinder
image as the finished picture and adjust the camera position
until the picture has the desired look. While an overall
picture is needed to orient parts for the viewer, this view is
too far away and there is too much unnecessary background
in the picture.

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This picture is a better overall view of the pump parts. There
is little unnecessary background, the background is dark, the
picture is filled with the pump parts and the parts are sharp
and in focus.

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Communication

- 11 During examination, the analyst should take many pictures of

the parts. Facts may be visible in one picture that are not
seen in another picture, and some pictures are excellent while
others are just fair. Or there may be need later on to look at
areas not inspected on the first try and if the parts are no
longer available, pictures become very valuable. Vary the
angle, lighting, distance and background while taking many
pictures.

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If there are numbers or letters on the parts, they should be
included in the pictures. Areas with residues or colors
present should also be photographed.

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Pictures of how the parts fit together are helpful when
considering how wear marks and grooves developed.

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Communication

- 12 Using a dark background makes dark areas such as the

suction screen become clearly visible because the camera
adjusts to available light. Using dark background with dark
parts usually produces best results. The general principle,
stated earlier, is to minimize the contrast between the
background and the subject of the photograph.

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When parts have recessed or protruding areas, it is difficult
to get a close up picture and keep everything in focus. The
analyst should pay careful attention to keeping the area of
interest in focus. Additional lighting is often needed to
illuminate recessed areas or disperse shadows.

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While filling the viewfinder with the specimen to get the
desired picture, avoid getting so close that the picture
becomes blurry and out of focus. With a digital camera, the
image can be reviewed immediately, and if the image is
blurry a new picture can be taken. The important idea when
taking pictures up close is to be sure the viewfinder image is
sharp before taking the picture. Move further away if the
viewfinder image is blurry.

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Communication

- 13 Parts with high and low areas and smooth surfaces are also
difficult to photograph. Angled, three-dimensional pictures
are usually better in these cases than straight down,
two-dimensional shots. This is an overall shot of one of the
oil pump gears for orientation.

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After getting the orientation picture, the next pictures should
be close up to get maximum surface detail. Take care with
close up pictures that the camera is not so close to the subject
that the picture becomes blurry.

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Mating parts may also need to be photographed. This is
another overall shot. Note that the background is black, the
part fills the picture and it is in focus. Surface details are
easy to see in this picture.

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Communication

- 14 Here, the analyst is trying to record the surface features from

the other end of the gear in the previous figure. Whats
wrong with this picture? It is overexposed, making it
difficult to see surface details. It is easy to accidentally
overlook one of the many key areas when taking pictures,
This is another good reason for taking many pictures while
examining failed parts.

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In this picture, the analyst is trying to record the surface
features on the end of the gear teeth. Are the surface features
clearly visible? The gear fills the picture, it is in focus, but
there are some bright reflections present which make it hard
to see surface features.

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Rearranging the lighting on the part has removed the bright
reflections so the surface features are much more visible.
This is a better picture for failure analysis work and
communication.

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Communication

- 15 If contaminants, resides or oil films are present on a part as

it is received, the part should be photographed before it is
cleaned. This picture shows facts about the oil film as well
as the part. After the as received condition of the part is
recorded, rinse off the oil film or contaminants and
photograph the surface features of the part.

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Notice that scratches are now clearly visible because oil has
been removed. Even clear liquids can hide high and low
surface features. In this picture the lighting is good, there are
no shadows or bright reflections, the part fills the picture and
it is in focus. This is a good picture for failure analysis and
communication.

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Did shadows or poor lighting cause this gear picture to be
too dark? Lighting is the same as on earlier gears, but there
is a white background beneath the gear. The camera
adjusted for bright background and this left insufficient
exposure for the darker gear.
It is possible to electronically brighten a digital photograph,
but it is best to record a quality photograph. Digital
photographs that have been electronically adjusted may be
suspect. Dont use adjusted images in failure analysis
reports without noting that the picture is not an original
photograph and stating how it was adjusted.

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Communication

- 16 This is the same gear that was shown earlier with a black
background. Notice again how a bright background
darkens the gear image and makes surface features more
difficult to see.

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Some students have asked if there is an inexpensive way to
take digital pictures through a microscope so that pictures
can show the tiny facts. The answer is yes. Put the digital
camera lens directly on one of the microscope eyepieces and
use the camera instead of the eye. In some cases the analyst
may have to zoom the digital camera or raise or lower the
microscope to bring the image into focus. The camera then
will function like an eye.

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For instance, one day, one of the Applied Failure Analysis
instructors felt a bite. A quick inspection of the affected
area revealed a small, black insect that could not be easily
identified. The instructor, who was working at one of the
microscopes in the lab, decided to have a closer look at the
offending insect.

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Communication

- 17 Here is the insect viewed at slightly larger than normal

size about what could be done using the zoom feature on
a digital camera. It is still hard to determine what kind of
insect it is and whether it is heavily armed.

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Here one of the Applied Failure Analysis instructors is
demonstrating the technique used to obtain photographs with
higher magnification than available with the digital camera
alone. After placing the specimen under the microscope, the
camera is carefully placed on one of the objectives. The
image can be brought into focus using the focus on the
microscope and the zoom feature on the camera. Once a
suitable image is obtained, capture it with the camera.

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Here is a closer view of an image captured through one of
the objectives on the microscope. With care, a very good
quality image is possible. Sometimes, the combination of
magnification in the microscope and zoom in the camera will
not allow the analyst to capture a full screen image. Some of
the corners of the image may be dark because they are out of
the field of view. The quality of the images produced this
way depends largely on the patience and skill of the
photographer.

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Communication

- 18 Returning to the mystery insect, here is an image made

through the microscope with a digital camera. The insect
was incapacitated prior to photographing it.
Notice that with care and patience, it is possible to obtain
very good quality photographs such as the one shown here.
Experimenting with lighting, magnification level and camera
zoom is necessary to get the best results.

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Increasing the microscope magnification or camera zoom
allows even further magnification of the subject.

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Additional magnification reveals that the insect is equipped
with a formidable set of jaws. It appears that the bite
experienced by the instructor was actually a bite and not a
sting.

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Communication

- 19 Magnified views of common objects often look very strange.

It is often fascinating to view such photographs. Here it is
possible to see the segmented antennas of the insect as well
as its compound eye. The neck region appears to be
almost fuzzy looking.

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The compound eyes of insects have a strange appearance.
Imagine looking at this view if it were further magnified to
show details of only one eye. Would it be possible to
identify what was being observed if the observer hadnt
seen the earlier, lower magnification pictures?
The point is highly magnified objects often appear different
than expected. Be very careful when looking at magnified
views. Preconceived ideas easily arise and incorrect conclusions are frequently drawn if the analyst is not completely
sure of the identity of the subject of the photograph.

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Here is a final view of the insects jaws the source of the
irritation. Once digital images are captured it is easy to
highlight areas such as the circled area in this photograph.
Of course, text can also easily be added.
It is up to the analyst to make sure that any photographs used
in conjunction with failure analysis reports are clearly
identified and that there is no room for error in interpretation.
Make sure that each photograph makes its point clearly.
When doing failure analysis, take many photographs, but use
only those that clearly support the analysis results.

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Communication

- 20 When taking digital photographs, be aware of the picture file

format. Some picture file formats produce very large size
files. Using these in reports makes the report file size very
large which can make sending the report electronically
difficult.
With the proper program, it is possible to convert picture
files from one format to another, compressing them to a
much smaller size as in the example here. The analyst needs
to find a program that can manipulate picture files to make
the most efficient use of digital photos in reports.

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Sometimes, it may be necessary to compress a picture file
while maintaining the same file format. This is also possible
with the proper computer software.
When picture files are compressed, they lose information.
The analyst should be careful when compressing picture files
that so much information isnt lost that the picture loses its
effectiveness in presenting details of the findings in the
report.

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Remember, if facts arent gathered and recorded carefully, it
will be difficult to follow the road signs to the root cause.
It will also be difficult to help others understand the facts if
good pictures arent acquired and saved for communication
work.
Pictures are also good for legal evidence in case arguments
occur. Memory is a much less effective tool in court than
pictures. Make sure however, to retain original copies of the
photographs. Photographs that have been touched up may
not be admissible as evidence.

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Communication

- 21 The analyst should remember that Preconceived Ideas can

occur any time from first problem awareness to last problem
correction. Be careful not to stray from the facts found
during failure analysis.
By following the Eight Steps of Applied Failure Analysis,
the analyst will stay organized, find key facts, build an
accurate time line, find the most probable root cause, and
communicate effectively with others.

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9/2004

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