Materials engineering is the discipline of understanding materials, their composition, properties and behaviour. It includes the study of failures and relates these to the material as well as to the environment in which the material is operating. Clearly corrosion is a significant part of this, to the extent it is often considered a separate discipline in its own right.

Here at Corrosion And Materials Engineering Limited (CAMEL) we take the broader meaning of materials engineering to include corrosion: Dr Hoyle was a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, as well as being a Professional Member of the Institute of Corrosion, placing him ideally to investigate, understand and explain issues around these fields.

This blend of understanding corrosion (usually deterioration by oxidation) plus material properties, gives a comprehensive approach to investigating failures, whether caused by mechanical, environmental or other means.

As many failures which are investigated are due to combinations of material and environment (e.g. chloride stress corrosion cracking of austenitic stainless steel), the benefits of understanding and appreciating both the mechanical and chemical aspects are immense. Few failures can be blamed on purely mechanical aspects and similarly few can genuinely be blamed on purely chemical ones. The vast majority of failures, and of the failures we investigate, are a combination of both these aspects. Even a simple pipe failure by perforation due to external corrosion has a mechanical aspect – had the process fluid been at a different pressure, the pipe might have survived longer before perforation occurred.

But failures are only part of the story. We also aim to help clients avoid failures by selecting the right materials in the first place. Material selection is far more complex than just saying “Stainless steel is better than carbon steel.”, because that may well not be appropriate. Yes, there are times when stainless steels will give better service and be more cost effective than carbon steels, but equally there are many applications when carbon steel will out-perform stainless steel. Do you or your Project Engineers / Design Engineers / Process Engineers really know which scenario you are in?

So whether an issue is due to mechanical deterioration such as fatigue, or chemical deterioration giving rise to corrosion, or simply that you don't know what might happen, here at CAMEL we have the knowledge and experience to help you resolve the problem and allow you to do what you do best – run your plant and make the product.

Relating this to the services we offer produces three distinct, but closely related aspects.

The services offered by Dr Hoyle through Corrosion And Materials Engineering Limited include consultancy on materials performance (whether at the design stages or post-service), advice and explanations in the area of materials selection, failure analysis, corrosion assessments, corrosion behaviour, assistance with the understanding of inspection findings and preparation of Written Schemes of Examination from a materials engineering perspective.   

Some corrosion testing can usually be undertaken, albeit through the service of a third-party laboratory facility.

Dr Hoyle is a Materials Engineer, not a Metallurgist, which means that although most of his work has been involved with metals, he also has familiarity with, and knowledge of, a range of non-metallic materials, including polymerics, GRP, rubber linings, glass linings, etc.

Having been engaged as an Expert Witness on a number of cases, from failure of individual automotive components to that of entire tank farms, Dr Hoyle is well suited to this type of work, and that of explaining detailed materials issues to those not familiar with the language used and engineering principles involved.

He is available for such work but must be engaged at an early stage to ensure the best possible outcome for the client.

Dr Hoyle prefers to only engage in one Expert Witness case at any time, and if already engaged will suggest either deferring/delaying the engagement or use of an alternative expert.

A third aspect of the services on offer is that of technical training. Dr Hoyle has previously prepared and delivered both “off the shelf” courses and bespoke courses in the areas of general and specific corrosion, metallurgy, stainless steels, failure analysis, rubber lining inspection and assessment, etc., and has been involved as a contributor to courses on storage tanks, piping, inspection and NDT, etc.

Using a relaxed yet informative manner created by an in depth understanding of the subject matter in hand, Dr Hoyle has always had exceptional feedback on the courses he has delivered.

If you have any specific requirement in any of the above areas, or a related field, please contact us.

Dr Hoyle believes that clients want to know up-front what a particular aspect of work will cost, particularly in these times of small budgets and big workloads.

For this reason, Corrosion And Materials Engineering Limited adopt a simple pricing strategy – reimbursable rates are £200 per man hour / £1500 per man day for consultancy services, with expenses at cost +5% and £0.47/mile for car journeys (such as to/from your site).

Small discounts may be given for regular clients.

Rates for expert witness work may vary from that given above, depending on the scope and nature of the individual issue. However, the hourly rate applied would be agreed with the client at the earliest possible opportunity.

Any time at or in a Legal Tribunal, Legal Mediation, Court or similar are typically £3200 per day or part thereof, plus expenses.