Part 8: From field data to a material solution

While the previous 7 articles covered the interpretation of material properties, screening based on operating conditions, selection according to geometry and installation, material flow promotion, combining multiple materials, cases where upgrading is not recommended, and special operating conditions, this article addresses the roadmap from field data to a material solution according to different actual situations.

A location experiencing repeated failures, a procurement proposal awaiting approval, and equipment still in the design stage should not begin with the same step.

If sufficient data are already available at the location, the selection process can begin. If data are still missing, the first step remains measurement and baseline establishment. If the objective is to substantiate an investment proposal, service life, shutdown cycles, and the cost basis become the data that need to be clarified first.

1. Locations experiencing repeated failures require reassessment of the mechanism and field data

When a location has failed repeatedly, the starting question should not yet be which material grade to switch to.

A more appropriate sequence is:

Step	Activity to be performed	Recommended further reading
1	Examine damage patterns to identify the suspected failure mechanism	Part 1: Four types of wear and their identifying signs on the surface within the Material Wear Mechanisms knowledge cluster
2	Measure the conditions acting on the location, particularly operating temperature and peak temperature	Part 2: Four influencing factors and the material selection sequence
3	Eliminate unsuitable material groups and retain options supported by technical evidence	Part 2: Four influencing factors and the material selection sequence
4	Compare the new service life with shutdown cycles before deciding on an upgrade	Part 6: Cases where material replacement is not recommended

The final step is easily overlooked.

A material with a longer service life does not necessarily reduce the number of interventions. If the new service life remains within the same shutdown-cycle tier, the plant may still need to replace the material during the same scheduled maintenance shutdown.

Therefore, for locations experiencing repeated failures, the following questions need to be answered in sequence:

What failure mechanism is occurring? → What are the actual operating conditions? → Which material group is suitable? → Will upgrading change operational outcomes?

2. Procurement documentation needs to retain both the data and the reasons for selection

When a proposed solution must undergo engineering review, procurement review, or approval by a committee, the important question is not only: “Which option was selected?”, but also: “What data supported the selection of that option?”

The documentation can be structured into four steps:

Step	Activity to be performed
1	Collect service-life data, shutdown cycles, intervention duration, and relevant cost figures
2	Clearly document the reasons for selecting the option rather than retaining only the name of the final material
3	Include alternative options in the comparison and clearly document the reasons for rejecting them
4	Define in advance the criteria to be verified during acceptance

Retaining information about a lower-cost option that was not selected is important.

It demonstrates that the final decision was based on a comparison using a common basis, rather than being presented as the only available choice.

For service-life assessments, the number of months in service needs to be considered alongside the plant’s actual shutdown cycles.

You can learn more about determining when additional service life actually creates value in Part 6: Cases where material replacement is not recommended.

3. New equipment requires early consideration of the interfaces between material groups

Equipment still in the design stage has the advantage that an existing installed solution does not yet need to be addressed.

This is an appropriate stage to divide the equipment into operating zones from the outset.

A single component may simultaneously contain:

areas subjected to direct impact
areas subjected to sliding wear
areas operating at higher temperatures
areas requiring removal for maintenance

If these areas require different material groups, the interface between them must be treated as a separate engineering area from the design stage.

Before finalizing the solution, the following need to be determined:

which material group should be installed first
interface gap
surface height difference between the two materials
waiting time between installation stages
the person with technical responsibility for the material-combination decision

You can learn more about designing and controlling interfaces in Part 5: Combining multiple materials at one location: design principles and interface control.

4. Each department may begin with a different question

Not everyone in the plant needs to read the entire knowledge cluster in the same order.

Reader	Content to prioritize
Chief engineer, engineering	Part 1: Material properties and trade-offs in material selection → Part 2: Four influencing factors and the material selection sequence → Part 5: Combining multiple materials at one location: design principles and interface control
Maintenance, operations	Part 2: Four influencing factors and the material selection sequence → Part 6: Cases where material replacement is not recommended
Procurement, materials	Part 1: Material properties and trade-offs in material selection → Part 6: Cases where material replacement is not recommended
Plant management	Part 6: Cases where material replacement is not recommended → continue with cost data and operational impacts
Readers new to the topic	Read sequentially from Part 1 to Part 8

New readers often tend to consult the selection table first because it provides quick results.

However, the table only indicates which material groups remain after screening. To understand why a material group was eliminated, it is first necessary to understand material properties and the role of each influencing factor.

5. Three actions that can be taken before organizing a dedicated survey

Some baseline data can be collected directly at the plant before deciding whether a more detailed survey is necessary.

5.1. Compare the selection table with the actual location experiencing failure

The selection table is meaningful when considered alongside data from the specific location. After examining the damage patterns, it is necessary to determine:

which mechanism is suspected
which data are already available
which data are still missing
which factors require further measurement

The purpose of the table is not to replace a survey but to help accurately narrow down the data that need to be collected.

5.2. Establish fixed measurement points before replacing the material

These data are difficult to recover if they are not collected before material replacement.

Activity	Purpose
Select 3 measurement points and 1 control point	Monitor the same locations at different times
Mark the points using paint or stamping	Enable subsequent measurements at the exact same points
Measure thickness 3 times and take the median	Limit the influence of an outlying measurement
Take photographs showing the marked measurement points and a reference scale	Identify the locations during subsequent inspections

If the material is replaced before establishing a baseline, some of the initial data cannot be fully recovered. Consequently, before-and-after comparisons also lose an important basis.

You can learn more about establishing measurement points and baselines in Wear-Rate Measurement and Baseline Establishment.

5.3. Collect operating data before proposing a solution

Four questions should be asked directly at the plant:

How often does this location require intervention?
Do the material conditions change seasonally?
Has this location previously caused an unplanned shutdown?
What is the hourly production value of the line?

Among these, the question concerning unplanned shutdowns needs to be considered separately.

A location that is only repaired during scheduled maintenance and a location that has previously forced an unexpected production-line shutdown should not be assigned the same priority level.

6. A technical survey needs to supplement the missing data

The objective of a survey is not necessarily to result in the purchase of new materials.

The primary objective is to obtain sufficient data for the plant to make a decision.

A survey should produce outputs that can continue to be used:

Activity	Result to be retained
Measure the influencing conditions and record the source of each value	A data set with a clearly defined scope and conditions
Mark fixed measurement points	A baseline for subsequent monitoring
Present 2–3 options when multiple approaches are suitable	A basis for comparison and justification
Clearly document unknown factors or remaining risks	Enable decision-makers to identify what has not yet been ruled out

The final point is particularly important.

A technical report should not only describe the advantages of a proposed solution. It also needs to identify which aspects of the problem still lack sufficient data or cannot yet be ruled out.

Four situations in which a more detailed survey should be considered include:

conditions at the location cannot be measured using the available instruments
multiple material groups remain after screening, and there is insufficient basis for selection
the location requires a combination of multiple material groups
the material has been changed two or more times, but the same failure mode continues to occur

7. Some cases do not yet require a dedicated survey or material upgrading

Not every location requires a new material solution.

Situation	Initial evaluation approach
The location already meets a full shutdown cycle without causing unplanned shutdowns	Evaluate the actual value of extending service life
Replacement frequency is low relative to the remaining equipment life	Compare service life with equipment replacement or investment plans
The cause lies in material-flow design	Proceed to geometry evaluation instead of continuing to change materials
Only one parameter needs to be checked, and sufficient data are already available	The corresponding technical documentation can be consulted directly

The key point is that not every location requires a higher-grade material.

If the existing material already meets the operating cycle, does not cause unplanned shutdowns, and has not become a bottleneck, the economic implications need to be evaluated before proceeding with an upgrade.

You can learn more about these cases in Part 6: Cases where material replacement is not recommended.

8. Three knowledge groups are connected in sequence

Material selection does not begin with a product name.

The three knowledge groups need to follow this sequence:

Step	Knowledge group	Question to be answered
1	Material Wear Mechanisms	Which mechanism is occurring?
2	Field Survey, Measurement and Diagnostics	What are the actual operating conditions?
3	Principles of Material Selection	Which material group is suitable?

Mechanism identification helps determine what needs to be measured.

Field surveys convert observed indications into quantitative data at the location.

Material-selection principles use those same data to eliminate, retain, and compare material groups.

Skipping the measurement step and proceeding directly from damage patterns to a material name leaves the selection process without sufficient input data.

Conversely, if the data at the location are already complete, there is no need to start again from the beginning. You can proceed directly to Part 2: Four influencing factors and the material selection sequence to narrow down the material options.

9. Notes when applying this knowledge

First, the roadmap in this article helps determine the next step; it does not provide a material-selection conclusion for a specific location. The conclusion must still be based on data from that location.

Second, the recommended reading sequence by department is only a guide. In practice, one person may simultaneously be responsible for engineering, operations, or maintenance and may need to use multiple content groups.

Third, the cases that do not yet require a dedicated survey do not constitute an exhaustive list. The level of operational impact remains a factor that needs to be considered before making a decision.

Fourth, if sufficient data are already available, there is no need to repeat the entire roadmap. The objective is to supplement precisely what is missing, not to repeat steps that already have an established basis.

The material-selection roadmap should begin with the actual status of the problem. Locations experiencing repeated failures require reassessment of the mechanism and measurements; procurement documentation requires data and reasons for selection; and new equipment requires early consideration of interfaces between material groups. When field data are retained in full, material-selection decisions not only become easier to justify but also provide a basis for verifying the effectiveness of the solution after implementation.