Examination of a cracked nose landing gear cylinder made of AISI 4340 Cr-Mo-Ni alloy steel proved that the part started to fail on the inside diam. When the nucleus of the stress-corrosion crack was studied in detail, iron oxide was found on the fracture surface. A 6500x micrograph revealed this area also displayed an intergranular texture. One of a group of small grinding cracks on the ID of the cylinder nucleated the failure. Other evidence indicated the cracks developed when the cylinder was ground during overhaul.

Ground maintenance personnel discovered hydraulic fluid leaking from two small cracks in a main landing gear cylinder made from AISI 4340 Cr-Mo-Ni alloy steel. Failure of the part had initiated on the ID of the cylinder. Numerous cracks were found under the chromium plate. A 6500x electron fractograph showed cracking was predominantly intergranular with hairline indications. Leaking had occurred only 43 h after overhaul of the part. Total service time on the part was 9488 h. It was concluded that cracking on the ID was caused by hydrogen embrittlement which occurred during or after overhaul. The specific source of hydrogen which produced failure was not ascertainable.

A nose landing gear cylinder made from AISI 4340 Ni-Cr-Mo alloy steel was found cracked and leaking, causing partial depressurization. Investigation revealed the crack to be a stress-corrosion type, judging by the 6500x electron fractograph. It had started in a region of concentrated, large non-metallic inclusions near the chromium-plated ID of the cylinder. Also, there were breaks in the chromium plate and pits in the underlying base metal. The cylinder had been in service for 18,017 h, and 5948 h had passed since the first and only overhaul. Substandard plating of the ID at this time ultimately resulted in pitting of the metal. The combination of surface pitting and stress concentration at the nearby inclusions resulted in stress-corrosion cracking.

A forging of 7075-T6 aluminum alloy, which formed a support for the cylinder of a cargo door, cracked at an attachment hole. Fluorescent penetrant inspection showed the crack ran above and below the hole out onto the machined flat surface of the flange. A 6500x electron fractograph proved the crack to be a forging defect called a cold shut. Because defects of this type are usually detected when the raw forging is inspected, this occurrence was considered to be an isolated instance.

Overhaul mechanics discovered a crack in an AISI 4340 Cr-Mo-Ni alloy steel pivot bolt when grinding off the chromium plating. The bolt had served for an estimated 10,000 h and was replated when last overhauled. On checking the bolt, several fine cracks were found on the surface. A 6500x micrograph revealed the intergranular nature of a crack. By trying different grinding procedures, investigators were able to reproduce this type of failure in the laboratory. It was concluded that grinding cracks initiated the failure. It should be noted that governing specifications prohibit grinding on high-strength steel; chromium should be stripped by electrochemical methods.

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) is one of the most versatile instruments for investigating the microscopic features of most solid materials. The SEM provides the user with an unparalleled ability to observe and quantify the surface of a sample. This article discusses the development of SEM technology and operating principles of basic systems of SEM. The basic systems covered include the electron optical column, signal detection and display equipment, and the vacuum system. The processes involved in the preparation of samples for observation using an SEM are described, and the application of SEM in fractography is discussed. The article covers the failure mechanisms of ductile failure, brittle failure, mixed-mode failure, and fatigue failure. Lastly, image dependence on microscope type and operating parameters is also discussed.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the root cause of the differences noted in the fatigue test data of main rotor spindle assembly retaining rods fabricated from three different vendors, as part of a Second Source evaluation process. ARL performed dimensional verification, accessed overall workmanship, and measured the respective surface roughness of the rods in an effort to identify any discrepancies. Next, mechanical testing was performed, followed by optical and electron microscopy, and chemical analysis. Finally, ARL performed laboratory heat treatments at the required aging temperature and follow-up mechanical testing.

During 5.7 years of service, dye penetrant inspection of Inconel 800H pigtail connections regularly showed cracks at weld toes. Weld repairs were not able to prevent reoccurrence but often aggravated the condition. Samples containing small, but detectable, reducer-to-pigtail cracks showed intergranular cracks originating at weld toes and filled with oxidation product, which precluded determination of the cracking mechanism. All weldments exhibited high degrees of secondary precipitates, with original fabrication welds exhibiting higher apparent levels than repair welds. SEM/EDS analysis showed base metal grain boundary precipitates to be primarily chromium carbides, but some titanium carbides were also observed. Failure was believed to result from the synergism of thermally driven tube distortion, which resulted in over-stress, and from the intergranular oxidation products and intergranular carbides which contributed to cracking. It was recommended that stresses be reduced and /or that materials and components be changed. Refinements in welding procedures and implementation of preweld/postweld heat treatments were recommended also.

A case of continual product refinement stimulated by product failures was described. Brittle fracture of gas transmission line pipe steels occurred demonstrating a poor combination of materials, environment, manufacturing and installation problems, and loads. Initial efforts were concentrated towards decreasing the Charpy ductile-to-brittle transition temperature to avoid brittle fracture. It was subsequently revealed that the absorbed energy on the upper shelf of the Charpy energy-temperature curve was critical for arresting a moving crack. Both fracture initiation and fracture propagation were needed be controlled. It was concluded that improved steel processing procedures, chiefly hot-working temperature and deformation control, were also required to optimize microstructure and properties.

Rolling-contact fatigue (RCF) is a surface damage process due to the repeated application of stresses when the surfaces of two bodies roll on each other. This article briefly describes the various surface cracks caused by manufacturing processing faults or blunt impact loads on ceramic balls surfaces. It discusses the propagation of fatigue cracks involved in rolling contacts. The characteristics of various types of RCF test machines are summarized. The article concludes with a discussion on the various failure modes of silicon nitride in rolling contact. These include the spalling fatigue failure, the delamination failure, and the rolling-contact wear.

Metallurgical SEM analysis provides many insights into the failure of biomedical materials and devices. The results of several such investigations are reported here, including findings and conclusions from the examination a total hip prosthesis, stainless steel and titanium compression plates, and hollow spinal rods. Some of the failure mechanisms that were identified include corrosive attack, corrosion plus erosion-corrosion, inclusions and stress gaps, production impurities, design flaws, and manufacturing defects. Failure prevention and mitigation strategies are also discussed.

Corrosion failure occurred in a titanium clad tubesheet because of a corrosive tube-side gas-liquid mixture leaking through fatigue cracks in the seal welds at tube-to-tubesheet joints. The tubesheet was a carbon steel plate clad with titanium on the tube side face. The seal weld cracks were initiated by cyclic stress imposed by exchanger tubes. The gas-liquid mixture passed through cracks under tube-side pressure, resulting in severe corrosion of the steel backing plate. The failure started with the loosening of the expanded tube-to-tubesheet joints. Loose joints allowed the exchanger tubes to impose load on seal welds and the shell side cooling water entered the crevice between the tubesheet and the tubes. The cooling water in the crevice caused galvanic reaction and embrittlement of seal welds. Brittle crack opening and crack propagation in seal welds occurred due to the cyclic stress imposed by the tubes. The cyclic stress arised from the thermal cycling of the heat exchanger. The possible effects of material properties on the failure of the tubesheet are discussed.

This article illustrates the use of the American Petroleum Institute (API) 579-1/ASME FFS-1 fitness-for-service (FFS) code (2020) to assess the serviceability and remaining life of a corroded flare knockout drum from an oil refinery, two fractionator columns affected by corrosion under insulation in an organic sulfur environment, and an equalization tank with localized corrosion in the shell courses in a chemicals facility. In the first two cases, remaining life is assessed by determining the minimum thickness required to operate the corroded equipment. The first is based on a Level 2 FFS assessment, while the second involves a Level 3 assessment. The last case involves several FFS assessments to evaluate localized corrosion in which remaining life was assessed by determining the minimum required thickness using the concept of remaining strength factor for groove-like damage and evaluating crack-like flaws using the failure assessment diagram. Need for caution in predicting remaining life due to corrosion is also covered.

The failure of a high-speed pinion shaft from a marine diesel engine was investigated. The shaft, which had been in service for more than 30 years, failed shortly after the bearings were replaced. Examination of the shaft revealed cyclic fatigue, with a substantial distribution of nonmetallic inclusions near the fracture initiation site. Fracture mechanics analysis indicated that, if stresses acting on the shaft were induced only by normal service loads, there was little likelihood that the inclusions served as failure initiation sites. Further examination of the bearing elements revealed an abnormal wear pattern, consistent with the application of elevated bending loads. The root cause of failure was determined to be an increase in service stresses after bearing replacement along with the presence of nonmetallic inclusions in the shaft.

Metallographic studies found that steel used to fabricate the U.S.S. Arizona battleship during original construction, 1913-1915 and reconstruction, 1929-1931 were consistent with the best materials available during each time period. Due to the force of the forward magazine detonation, the best steel available today would not have had any impact on the outcome. Heavy banding in steels from both periods could adversely affect the corrosion resistance under anaerobic conditions that prevail during a corrosion cycle that has developed under hard biofouling layers for over 58 years. Banding would have no effect on corrosion rate under aerobic conditions that may occur in local areas on the hull. In the part of the ship from which samples for this report were obtained, high temperatures above 1340 deg F did not occur. Hull plate samples from the submerged wreckage are not yet available. These samples will be important to confirm findings to this time and determine the remaining thickness of the hull plate and, indirectly, the integrity of the fuel oil tanks.

The article commences with an overview of short-term and long-term mechanical properties of polymeric materials. It discusses plasticization, solvation, and swelling in rubber products. The article further describes environmental stress cracking and degradation of polymers. It illustrates how surface degradation of a plain strain tension specimen alters the ductile brittle transition in polyethylene creep rupture. The article concludes with information on the effects of temperature on polymer performance.

This article provides an outline of the issues to consider in performing a probabilistic life assessment. It begins with an historical background and introduces the most common methods. The article then describes those methods covering subjects such as the required random variable definitions, how uncertainty is quantified, and input for the associated random variables, as well as the characterization of the response uncertainty. Next, it focuses on specific and generic uncertainty propagation techniques: first- and second-order reliability methods, the response surface method, and the most frequently used simulation methods, standard Monte Carlo sampling, Latin hypercube sampling, and discrete probability distribution sampling. Further, the article discusses methods developed to analyze the results of probabilistic methods and covers the use of epistemic and aleatory sampling as well as several statistical techniques. Finally, it illustrates some of the techniques with application problems for which probabilistic analysis is an essential element.

X-ray spectroscopy is generally accepted as the most useful ancillary technique that can be added to any scanning electron microscope (SEM), even to the point of being considered a necessity by most operators. While “stand-alone” x-ray detection systems are used less frequently in failure analysis than the more exact instrumentation employed in SEMs, the technology is advancing and is worthy of note due to its capability for nondestructive analysis and application in the field. This article begins with information on the basis of the x-ray signal. This is followed by information on the operating principles and applications of detectors for x-ray spectroscopy, namely energy-dispersive spectrometers, wavelength-dispersive spectrometers, and handheld x-ray fluorescence systems. The processes involved in x-ray analysis in the SEM and handheld x-ray fluorescence analysis are then covered. The article ends with a discussion on the applications of x-ray spectroscopy in failure analysis.

This case study describes the failure analysis of a steel nozzle in which cracking was observed after a circumferential welding process. The nozzle assembly was made from low-carbon CrMoV alloy steel that was subsequently single-pass butt welded using gas tungsten arc welding. Although no cracks were found when the welds were visually inspected, X-ray radiography showed small discontinuous surface cracks adjacent to the weld bead in the heat affected zone. Further investigation, including optical microscopy, microhardness testing, and residual stress measurements, revealed that the cracks were caused primarily by the presence of coarse untempered martensite in the heat affected zone due to localized heating. The localized heating was caused by high welding heat input or low welding speed and resulted in high transformation stresses. These transformation stresses, working in combination with thermal stresses and constraint conditions, resulted in intergranular brittle fracture.

Plastics or polymers are used in a variety of engineering and nonengineering applications where they are subjected to surface damage and wear. This article discusses the classification of polymer wear mechanisms based on the methodologies of defining the types of wear. The first classification is based on the two-term model that divides wear mechanisms into interfacial and bulk or cohesive. The second is based on the perceived wear mechanism. The third classification is specific to polymers and draws the distinction based on mechanical properties of polymers. In this classification, wear study is separated as elastomers, thermosets, glassy thermoplastics, and semicrystalline thermoplastics. The article describes the effects of environment and lubricant on the wear failures of polymers. It presents a case study on nylon as a tribological material. The article explains the wear failure of an antifriction bearing, a nylon driving gear, and a polyoxymethylene gear wheel.