On 16/07/2011 11:03 AM, Orval Fairbairn wrote:

I think you are all missing the point here! The whole exercise appears
to have been a simple demonstration of materials science and failure
analysis techniques. It doesn't matter if it was an office chair or a
piece of test material, but it serves an a good demonstration to young
engineers of what failure analysis can achieve.

Sadly, it also serves as a reminder of how often we have to throw stuff
out and buy replacements not because an item is genuinely worn out, but
because it wasn't designed/made properly in the first place.

Sylvia.