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You are here: Home / Failure Analysis / Failure Analysis of Broken Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Bottle

Failure Analysis of Broken Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Bottle

June 23, 2020 By Tom Read 2 Comments

Read Consulting failure analysis laboratory performed a glass failure analysis of a broken of vinaigrette salad dressing bottle. The bottle top broke off when the top was being twisted off and injured the user. The integrity of the bottle neck was in question. There was a suspicion of a glass defect in the bottle neck (i.e. was there a manufacturing defect?). The overall crack was traced to its origin. At the failure origin there was glass damage. It appears as if this damage occurred when the foil around the cap was cut for removal. If the foil cutting is too aggressive.  the neck can be damaged, and this creates a small crack. The force applied to the neck when removing the cap can cause this crack to grow and cause the bottle neck to shear off. Below is a series of photographs showing the steps of the failure analysis. In this analysis, the crack was traced back to the origin. Chatter marks and other glass damage was found at the origin. This damage occurred after the bottle was made. The most likely explanation is that it was caused by cutting the foil. There is no manufacturing defect.

Failed bottle. In this case the bottle top sheared off at the top of the neck.
Photograph of an as purchased bottle with the foil intact.
Close up of the cap. There is still glass in the cap. The cap twisted off when the neck failed.
Photomicrograph of the fracture origin. The glass crack initiated on the outer surface of the bottle neck just below the cap. There are “chatter marks” on the glass surface. These marks can be caused by dragging a blade across the glass surface (Mag. 40X).

 

Filed Under: Failure Analysis Tagged With: Glass Damage, Glass Failure, Manufacturing Defect, Photomicrograph

Comments

  1. Ann says

    December 21, 2024 at 1:48 pm

    Or… there was a bacterial buildup in the bottle producing a gas buildup. When the cap was twisted just a tiny but it allows the pressure to be release therefore causing the top to exploded. It’s not the first time this has happened.

    Wish I could post pictures of my sister’s palm and her twelve stitches.

    Reply
    • Tom Read says

      January 5, 2025 at 1:03 am

      Positive pressure would make the cap easier to remove.

      Reply

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Read Consulting Failure Analysis

Thomas L. Read, PhD,
1435 Fulton Road Santa Rosa, CA
Phone: 707-494-5089
email: info@readconsulting.com

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Phone: 707-494-5089
email: info@readconsulting.com

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