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| Assessment of Damage from Train Derailment and Chemical Spill RJ Lee Group (RJLG) dispatched a team of materials scientists and technicians to the site of a chemical release to assess the resulting material property damage. Months of on-site services resulted in hundreds of residential and commercial property inspections and assessments. Systematic visual assessments documented with digital photographs and GPS coordinates, together with on-site field testing and laboratory analysis of surface wipes and lift samples, established the nature and extent of material damage. |
| Automated Raman / Video Imaging System for the Characterization of Metered Dose Inhalers (MDIs) The product effectiveness of metered dose inhalers (MDIs) can be greatly impacted by the presence of microscopic contamination. Particle characterization was critical to trouble shooting contamination issues. RJ Lee Group (RJLG) provided detailed information about the physical and chemical characteristics of foreign particles present in MDIs. Automated Raman/video imaging was used to size, count, image and gather chemical information of particles in a fast, efficient method. MDI producers benefited from this invaluable product and process information. |
| Biomedical Product Particle Contamination Identification Quality control testing at a biomedical producer discovered an unknown fibrous material in their product. RJ Lee Group's (RJLG) forensic investigation sought to identify the particle and its source. Characterization of two samples in comparison with a potential source sample via optical microscopy and Fourier transform infrared microscopy (FTIR) determined both samples were consistent with each other but not the potential source, ruling it out as a flaw in the production process. The investigation allowed the manufacturer to refine their process, eliminating the other potential contaminant source. |
| Characterization and Speciation of Bioaerosols and Vehicular Fuel Combustion Emissions Using Electron Microscopy In July 1997, the EPA revised the National Ambient Air Quality Standards to address ambient air concentrations of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less (PM2.5). The carbonaceous fraction contributes generally between 25 and 70% of fine particulate mass; therefore control strategies to meet this new standard will need to address the carbon component. An important step for developing control strategies is to understand the relationship between source emissions and ambient concentrations, so-called source-receptor relationships. In this project, RJ Lee Group (RJLG) used single particle morphology and compositional information from scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM) to develop signatures for different sources of carbonaceous aerosol. |
| Composition and Failure Analysis of Failed Solder Joint A failed solder joint on a ceramic package was inspected and analyzed. The purpose of RJ Lee Group's (RJLG) analysis was to determine the composition of the separated surfaces to determine the cause of the separation. The samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM/EDS). The plane of separation of the solder joint appeared to be associated with a nickel layer in the metallization system. Diffusion and mixing of the gold, tin and nickel components also appears to have occurred along the plane of separation. |
