Failure and Fracture Analysis of Bolt Assembled on the Fan Used in the Internal Combustion Engine

Three connecting bolts fractured, which were assembled on the fan used in the internal combustion engine. Detailed fractographic study and metallurgical analysis were focused on the fractured bolts. Fractographic and metallurgical studies indicate that the fracture surface and the microstructure of three bolts exhibit similar features. The fatigue fracture is the main failure mechanism of the bolts. Appearance of the micro-cracks in the thread tip of the fractured bolts makes the stress at the thread regions increase intensively so that the fatigue cracks initiated from the thread regions. Due to the presence of dynamic load, the bolts were never properly tightened during installation which should be responsible for the formation of the cracks.     

Failure Investigation of Counterweight Separation from Aircraft Propeller

The counterweight of a propeller in a turboprop aircraft was separated during an engine run-up inspection. If this separation occurs in-flight, it may result in an accident involving serious damage or injury. In this investigation, the failed counterweight clamping assembly was studied to determine the root cause of failure. Both experimental and computational investigations were performed to explore and confirm the effects of experimentally observed anomalies on potential clamping assembly failure. Dimensional measurement of the failed clamping thread area by X-ray CT scanning revealed significant deviation from requirements in the major diameter of the thread. Fractographic and microscopic examination along with chemical analysis confirmed that the clamping bolts were pulled out due to overload stripping failure of the internal threads. Detailed computational fracture modeling utilizing the XFEM crack simulation technique provided further insight proving that thread engagement length had a significant effect on the clamping assembly failure. Based on these observations, it was concluded that the main root cause of the stripping failure was the dimensional nonconformance of the internal thread from the requirements in standard 7/16-20UNF-3B that resulted in the loss of thread engagement length.     

Failure analysis of connecting bolts and location pins assembled on the plate of main-shaft used in a locomotive turbochanger

Three connecting bolts, three location pins and navel of turbo-disk fractured, which were assembled on the plate of the main-shaft used in a locomotive turbochanger. Detailed fractographic study and metallurgical analysis were focused on the trouble bolts. The fatigue fracture is the main failure mechanism of the bolts. Appearance of the surface decarburization layer in the thread tip and root regions of the three failed bolts make the hardness at the thread regions decrease intensely so that the fatigue cracks initiated form the root at the first engaged thread. Surface damage morphology with cutting, wear and plastic deformation features was found on the working flanks of the engaged threads. Other components fractured in succession after the trouble bolt fractured.     

Failure analysis on fracture of worm gear connecting bolts

The worm gear connecting bolts of refueling machines of a nuclear power plant, with implementing standard of ANSI/ASME B18.3 and ASTM A574-08 and strength grade of 10.9, fractured at the thread neck position after running for about 10 years, and means such as macro examination, chemical compositions analysis, hardness testing, metallographic examination and fracture analysis, were used to analyze the fracture property and reasons of the bolts. The results show that the fracture of the bolts is due to two-way bending fatigue fracture. Surface decarburization of the bolts and stress concentration at the bolt thread neck decreased the fatigue strength of this position and resulted in the initiation of fatigue cracks. By comprehensive analysis and stress estimating, it was concluded that the main reason for fracture of the bolts is that there was a big gap between the bolts and the bolt holes, which resulted in fatigue fracture of the worm gear connecting bolts.     

Ultrasonic inspection of studs (bolts) using dynamic predictive deconvolution and wave shaping

Bolt degradation has become a major issue in the nuclear industry since the 1980's. If small cracks in stud bolts are not detected early enough, they grow rapidly and cause catastrophic disasters. Their detection, despite its importance, is known to be a very difficult problem due to the complicated structures of the stud bolts. This paper presents a method of detecting and sizing a small crack in the root between two adjacent crests in threads. The key idea is from the fact that the mode-converted Rayleigh wave travels slowly down the face of the crack and turns from the intersection of the crack and the root of thread to the transducer. Thus, when a crack exists, a small delayed pulse due to the Rayleigh wave is detected between large regularly spaced pulses from the thread. The delay time is the same as the propagation delay time of the slow Rayleigh wave and is proportional to the site of the crack. To efficiently detect the slow Rayleigh wave, three methods based on digital signal processing are proposed: wave shaping, dynamic predictive deconvolution, and dynamic predictive deconvolution combined with wave shaping.     

冲击载荷对飞机起落架螺纹连接的影响

对近期民航飞机主起落架连杆插销螺栓失效原因进行分析,估计出飞机降落过程中插销螺栓承受的最大冲击载荷为698 MPa,采用Yamamoto方法分析计算得到插销螺栓每一个啮合螺纹的应力分布,利用有限元分析法建立了连杆插销螺栓连接的有限元模型,分析所有啮合螺纹的应力应变场。分析了冲击载荷对螺旋效果和螺纹啮合位置产生的影响,这为飞机起落架的校查及使用寿命预测提供了重要的依据。     

Cracking of aluminum cast pistons of fuel gas reciprocating compressors

Several aluminum cast pistons used in fuel gas reciprocating compressors suffered from cracking during operation after a short time of service. The pistons were obtained from two manufacturing sources and the failure time was different. Metallurgical investigation was made on the failed pistons to identify the root cause of cracking. The investigation revealed that the cracks primarily existed at the top surfaces of the pistons and joined screwed plugs. The investigation also showed that the cracks had originated as fatigue cracks starting from the roots of broken threads in the body of the pistons. The root cause of failure was found to be the improper screwing of the plugs which resulted in the shear deformation of the threads and development of incipient microcracks. The difference in failure time was attributed to differences in materials properties and the amount of casting defects.     

叠层膜片联轴器螺栓断裂原因分析

采用化学成分分析、显微组织检验、硬度测定、断口宏观和微观观察及能谱分析等方法对叠层膜片联轴器断裂螺栓进行了分析.结果表明,螺栓根部的退刀槽因加工质量差造成应力集中,加上材料内部有夹杂物,同时在叠层膜片联轴器安装上有问题及机组中其他部件(如风机叶片和齿轮箱)也有损坏等各种因素的存在,该叠层膜片联轴器螺栓组使用于频繁起动的大载荷工作状态,一旦有超过该螺栓所能承受的工作应力就会引起疲劳而发生断裂,最终导致叠层膜片联轴器损坏.给出了正确设计、制造、安装和使用叠层膜片联轴器的建议.     

Analysis of Slide Gate Mounting Bolt Failure in Steel Ladle Due to Fatigue

The mounting bolt failed during slide gate operation of a steel ladle was investigated. Metallurgical analysis confirms the bolt as IS 1367 10.9 grade high-tensile 42CrMo₄ steel. On comparative study with a good un-fractured sample, a striation of fine banded ferrite in pearlite matrix was revealed in failed bolt under optical microscopy. The bolts failed due to fatigue and crack initiated from the surface of machined bolt threads. Comparatively lower hardness, low UTS associated with lower %Cr and %Mo content found to aggravate premature failure of bolts during ladle operation. Microstructure of un-fractured sample found with tempered bainite phase. The fatigue failure of bolts occurred due to repetitive nature of shear force development during steel pouring through slide gate system. Preventive measures to reduce fatigue failure of the mounting bolts are proposed.     

A new ultrasonic technique for detection and sizing of small cracks in studs and bolts

If small cracks in stud bolts are not detected early enough, they can grow rapidly and cause catastrophic disasters in industrial facilities such as nuclear power plants. Their detection, despite its importance, is known to be a very difficult problem due to the complicated structures of the stud bolts. This study shows a method of detecting the existence and determining the size of a small crack in a root between two crests in the bolt threads using ultrasound. The Rayleigh wave propagating from the tip of a crack to the opening of the same crack is utilized. A delayed pulse, due to the Rayleigh wave, is detected between regularly spaced pulses from the threads, with the delay time being proportional to the size of the crack. Theoretical explanation is presented and experimental results demonstrating detection of cracks as small as 0.5 mm are shown.     

Stress intensity factor solutions for a cracked bolt loaded by a nut

This paper presents the calculation of stress intensity factor (K) solutions for surface cracks in the thread ground of bolts subjected to axial loading directly applied by the nut. The stress-strain computations have been done by means of the finite element method with quarter-point singular isoparametric elements along the crack front. The stress intensity factor is calculated through the stiffness derivative method, by using a virtual crack extension technique to compute the energy release rate. Two modifications are made to improve the accuracy of the results: the displacement not only of the main node, but also of the quarter-point nodes located in the normal plane and the adjacent nodes in the crack line, avoiding both the change of the singularity and the crack curving. The results show that direct loading on the thread flank by a nut increases the stress intensity factor. This effect decreases with the crack length. For the deepest circular cracks, however, nut loading relaxes the K-value, mainly at the crack surface.     

Cause and effect assessment after a complex failure of a large ethylene compressor

A rusted cylinder liner and excessive wear of piston rings forced several maintenance disassemblies in a 1000 kW ethylene reciprocating compressor. Several months later the compressor failed due to growth of cracks in the crosshead of one of the cylinders. The initiation site was located in material defects near a stress raiser. In order to identify the root cause of the failure, crack growth time calculations were required. The applied stress field near the initiation sites and along fatigue paths were FEM estimated. Stresses vary steeply and become partly compressive along a large part of one of the fatigue crack paths. A recently developed weight function based numerical method was used to assess total fatigue crack growth time; this method also predicts the shapes of the crack front during propagation. Fatigue crack initiation was traced to a disassembly six months before final failure, which was found to be a joint result of non-conformities in manufacture and maintenance.     

Crack initiation in laminated metal-intermetallic composites

Several mechanisms have been proposed to describe crack initiation and propagation in ductile-brittle composites. This experimental study shows that the failure of metal intermetallic (metal-aluminides) composites was initiated by cracking initiation in the intermetallic layers. For metal layers that allowed shear deformation, crack initiation in adjacent intermetallic layers resulted from shear bands propagating from a crack tip in the intermetallic layer through the metal layer and producing stress concentration points at the interfaces of adjacent intermetallic layers. For metal layers that did not support shear deformation, crack initiation in the intermetallic layers resulted from the continued build up of stresses within the intermetallic layers, resulting in a relatively uniform distribution of cracks within the individual intermetallic layers. Prior to failure, lateral constraints produce lateral cracks in the intermetallic layers. The final fracture features of both failure mechanisms were similar for both metal-intermetallic systems.     

Mechanical behaviour and fracture evolution of coal specimens containing an over-excavated hole: Experimental study and numerical modelling

Utilising a series of mechanically over-excavated cavities along borehole is a novel technique for enhancing the permeability of soft coal seams and, consequently, gas drainage. The evolution of cracks induced by a wide range of pressure-relief around an over-excavated hole is intrinsically complex. In this study, the mechanical behaviour and crack evolution of the specimens containing an over-excavated hole under uniaxial compression loading were studied by experimental and 3D numerical simulation. The results indicated that the peak strength and elastic modulus of the specimens gradually decrease with increasing cavity diameter and length, which is also verified by the numerical simulation. The inclusion of cylindrical cavities in over-excavated holes results in reduced crack initiation stress and a greater degradation of peak stress and elastic modulus, despite having an equivalent volume to the ellipsoidal cavity. This is likely attributed to the difference in stress concentration between the cylindrical and ellipsoidal cavities. The crack propagation process can be classified into four stages based on the acoustic emission (AE) event counts, initial crack compaction, stable crack propagation, unstable crack propagation and post-peak failure stage. The two AE indices, rise angle and average frequency value, demonstrated that the failure is dominated by tensile crack and gradually transformed to shear crack. Stress redistribution is essential in the initiation and propagation of cracks. Tensile stress concentration leads to cracks forming at the top and bottom of the hole, which propagate in the direction of loading. Compressive stress concentration results in shear cracks forming at the left and right sides of the hole, which propagate diagonally. The failure pattern of the specimen is ultimately determined by a combination of tensile and mixed crack propagation. The experimental and numerical results contribute to a deeper understanding of the crack evolution mechanism of coal seams with over-excavated holes.     

Numerical and experimental evaluation of SIF for threaded connectors

This paper presents a methodology for fatigue crack growth analysis in tubular threaded connectors. A solution for stress intensity factor for semi-elliptical surface cracks emanating from a thread root in a screw connector is also discussed in the paper. The solution is based on a mixed approach incorporating weight function and finite element methods. The weight functions used are the universal functions for cracks in mode I and these are linked with a thread through-thickness stress distribution obtained from finite element analysis to produce a stress intensity factor for a crack at the critical tooth of a thread. The resulting crack growth data are then validated experimentally.     

Stress-Corrosion Cracking and Galvanic Corrosion of Internal Bolts from a Multistage Water Injection Pump

Nineteen out of 26 bolts (studs) used for assembly of multistage water pump showed severe corrosion and cracking after brief service in a severe working environment that contained saline water, CO₂, and H₂S. The failed bolts and intact nuts were supposed to be made out of a special type of austenitic stainless steel as per ASTM A 193 B8S and ASTM A 194, respectively. However, the investigation showed that bolts and nuts are made from two different alloys: an austenitic stainless steel and a nickel-base alloy. The difference in the corrosion resistance of these two alloys led to severe galvanic corrosion. The galvanic coupling between bolts and nuts in addition to the severe working environment played major role in the premature failure of bolts. The mechanisms of bolt failure were galvanic corrosion for bolts that were in direct contact with the environment and stress-corrosion cracking in the bolts remote from the severe environment. The stress-corrosion cracking was influenced by a bad fit between the bolts and nuts threads. This resulted in a crevice and the development of an aggressive chemistry between the engaged bolt/nut threads. All factors required to cause stress-corrosion cracking were available, namely, stressed bolts (bolts under tensile stress), temperatures above 60 °C, and chloride ions.     

Failure of a valve rod caused by improper heat treatment and metallurgy

Fractography analysis was used to investigate a structural component which failed during its normal service life. It has been found that imperfections in the metallurgy and heat treatment were the major causes of failure. Some detrimental impurities were found in the material. A number of cracks were initiated at the interface between the impurities and the base material. These cracks were the main reason for the failure. Also several kinds of metallography defects contributing to crack initiation have been found. The metallographic structure of the material is bainite+ferrite; the amount of ferrite increases gradually from the outside to the inside of the part. This was the wrong metallographic structure for this kind of material; it should be sorbite. Cracks initiated and propagated under a relatively low stress level by stress corrosion cracking.     

Failure Analysis of Reverse Shaft in the Transmission System of All-Terrain Vehicles

This paper presents a failure analysis of a reverse shaft in the transmission system of an all-terrain vehicle (ATV). The reverse shaft with splines fractured into two pieces during operation. Visual examination of the fractured surface clearly showed cracks initiated from the roots of spline teeth. To find out the cause of fracture of the shaft, a finite element analysis was carried out to predict the stress state of the shaft under steady loading and shock loading, respectively. The steady loading was produced under normal operation, while the shock loading could be generated by an abrupt change of operation such as start-up or sudden braking during working. Results of stress analysis reveal that the highest stressed area coincided with the fractured regions of the failed shaft. The maximum stress predicted under shock loading exceeded the yield strength and was believed to be the stimulant for crack initiation and propagation at this weak region. The failure analysis thus showed that the premature fatigue fracture of the shaft was caused by abnormal operation. Finally, some suggestions to enhance service durability of the transmission system of ATV are discussed.     

The effect of manufacturing processes on the fatigue lifetime of aeronautical bolts

Many aeronautical fastners are exposed to cyclic stresses during service. Therefore, such parts are usually designed for limited fatigue lifetime. Various combinations of process type and sequence may be employed to produce threads, each resulting in different fatigue properties. Specifications of aircraft bolts often require production of threads by heat treatment followed by rolling, in order to improve the fatigue properties. Unfortunately, these specifications are not always followed to the letter. Therefore, for either quality assurance or failure analysis purposes, it is important to be able to determine unambigiously the process by which threads were produced. The objectives of this work were to study the effect of varied thread manufacturing process type and sequence on the mechanical properties of AISI 4340 stud bolts, and to develop a laboratory procedure for distinguishing between them. Threads were produced on heat-treated and non-heat-treated stud bolts either by machining or cold-rolling. The non-heat-treated bolts were subsequently heat-treated. All bolts were then subjected to mechanical testing (static tensile, dynamic fatigue, hardness and microhardness tests), metallographic and fractographic examinations. While the fatigue properties were significantly affected by the manufacturing process used, no effects on the tensile strength of the bolt were observed. Metallographic inspection and microhardness testing, but not fractographic inspection, were found to be effective for distinguishing between different manufacturing procedures.     

Failure analysis of a nose landing gear fork

This paper presents a detailed analysis of a nose landing gear failure. The developed study comes following an accident occurred in which the nose of the landing gear's fork of a light aircraft failed during landing. According to Federal Aviation Administration, in average, 55% of aircraft failures occur during takeoff and landing.In order to determine the causes of the accident, a material analysis was performed, followed by a detailed study of the fracture's surface both visually and using optical and scanning electron microscopies. It was observed that fatigue cracks developed in the vicinity of the bolted holes, which work as supporting connections, on the topside of the nose fork and, as such, it can be concluded that the referred area was subjected to cyclic stresses originating and propagating cracks in the material. This cracking is characteristic of the existence of stress concentration areas. Identified the crack initiation zone with ratcheting and beach marks near the origin of the crack, combined with the fact that the nose wheel fork is subject to cyclic loading, leads to the conclusion that the component failed due to fatigue.Finite element analyses were also performed on the nose fork taking into account service conditions in order to assess the structural integrity of the component. During the analysis it was observed that the critical areas are located in the vicinity of the connecting holes, as it was observed in the fracture surface analysis. The assembly behavior in the presence of four straight cracks, originating from the fork holes, was also studied using the stress intensity factors, calculated using the contour integral method.