A detailed fracture mechanics evaluation is the most accurate and reliable prediction of process equipment susceptibility to brittle fracture. This article provides an overview and discussion on brittle fracture. The discussion covers the reasons to evaluate brittle fracture, provides a brief summary of historical failures that were found to be a result of brittle fracture, and describes key components that drive susceptibility to a brittle fracture failure, namely stress, material toughness, and cracklike defect. It also presents industry codes and standards that assess susceptibility to brittle fracture. Additionally, a series of case study examples are presented that demonstrate assessment procedures used to mitigate the risk of brittle fracture in process equipment.

This article offers an overview of fatigue fundamentals, common fatigue terminology, and examples of damage morphology. It presents a summary of relevant engineering mechanics, cyclic plasticity principles, and perspective on the modern design by analysis (DBA) techniques. The article reviews fatigue assessment methods incorporated in international design and post construction codes and standards, with special emphasis on evaluating welds. Specifically, the stress-life approach, the strain-life approach, and the fracture mechanics (crack growth) approach are described. An overview of high-cycle welded fatigue methods, cycle-counting techniques, and a discussion on ratcheting are also offered. A historical synopsis of fatigue technology advancements and commentary on component design and fabrication strategies to mitigate fatigue damage and improve damage tolerance are provided. Finally, the article presents practical fatigue assessment case studies of in-service equipment (pressure vessels) that employ DBA methods.

This article focuses on common failures of the components associated with the flow path of industrial gas turbines. Examples of steam turbine blade failures are also discussed, because these components share some similarities with gas turbine blading. Some of the analytical methods used in the laboratory portion of the failure investigation are mentioned in the failure examples. The topics covered are creep, localized overheating, thermal-mechanical fatigue, high-cycle fatigue, fretting wear, erosive wear, high-temperature oxidation, hot corrosion, liquid metal embrittlement, and manufacturing and repair deficiencies.

This article discusses pressure vessels, piping, and associated pressure-boundary items of the types used in nuclear and conventional power plants, refineries, and chemical-processing plants. It begins by explaining the necessity of conducting a failure analysis, followed by the objectives of a failure analysis. Then, the article discusses the processes involved in failure analysis, including codes and standards. Next, fabrication flaws that can develop into failures of in-service pressure vessels and piping are covered. This is followed by sections discussing in-service mechanical and metallurgical failures, environment-assisted cracking failures, and other damage mechanisms that induce cracking failures. Finally, the article provides information on inspection practices.

Failures in boilers and other equipment taking place in power plants that use steam as the working fluid are discussed in this article. The discussion is mainly concerned with failures in Rankine cycle systems that use fossil fuels as the primary heat source. The general procedure and techniques followed in failure investigation of boilers and related equipment are discussed. The article is framed with an objective to provide systematic information on various damage mechanisms leading to the failure of boiler tubes, headers, and drums, supplemented by representative case studies for a greater understanding of the respective damage mechanism.

Both nondestructive testing (NDT) and nondestructive evaluation (NDE) use noninvasive measurement techniques to gain information about defects and various properties of materials, components, and structures. This article begins with a discussion on the historical development of quantitative measurement techniques, evaluation reliability, and quantitative interpretation of nondestructive inspection methods. The common nondestructive evaluation methods, along with their uses and limitations, are summarized in a table. The article conceptually illustrates the interplay of NDE and fracture mechanics in the damage tolerant approach. It concludes with information on pressure vessel applications that can be separated into three protocols used by military nuclear power, commercial nuclear power, and non-nuclear pressure vessels and/or fired boilers.

Eddy-current inspection is based on the principles of electromagnetic induction and is used to identify or differentiate among a wide variety of physical, structural, and metallurgical conditions in electrically conductive ferromagnetic and nonferromagnetic metals and metal parts. This article discusses the advantages and limitations of eddy-current inspection, as well as the development of the eddy-current inspection process. It reviews the principal operating variables encountered in eddy-current inspection: coil impedance, electrical conductivity, magnetic permeability, lift-off and fill factors, edge effect, and skin effect. The article illustrates some of the principal impedance concepts that are fundamental to understanding of and effective application of eddy-current inspection. It discusses various types of eddy-current instruments, such as the resistor and single-coil system, bridge unbalance system, induction bridge system, and through transmission system. The article concludes with a discussion on the inspection of aircraft structural and engine components.

This article is concerned with gear tooth failures influenced by friction, lubrication, and wear, and especially those failure modes that occur in wind-turbine components. It provides a detailed discussion on wear (including adhesion, abrasion, polishing, fretting, and electrical discharge), scuffing, and Hertzian fatigue (including macropitting and micropitting). Details for obtaining high lubricant specific film thickness are presented. The article describes the selection criteria for lubricants, such as oil, grease, adhesive open gear lubricant, and solid lubricants. It discusses the applications of oil and gear lubricants and the types of standardized gear tests. The article presents some recommendations for selecting lubricants and lubricant viscosity for enclosed gear. It provides some examples of failure modes that commonly occur on gears and bearings in wind turbine gearboxes.

Liquid impingement erosion has been defined as progressive loss of original material from a solid surface due to continued exposure to impacts by liquid drops or jets. This article focuses on the core nature of erosion by liquid impingement, due to the greater appreciation of the distinctions between the different forms of erosion. It discusses steam turbine blade erosion, aircraft rain erosion, and rain erosion of wind turbine blades. The article describes the mechanisms of liquid impact erosion and time dependence of erosion rate. It reviews critical empirical observations regarding both impingement variables (velocity, impact angle, droplet size, and physical properties of liquids) and erosion resistance of materials, including the correlation between erosion resistance and mechanical properties and the effects of alloying elements and microstructure. The article also provides information on the ways to combat erosion.

This article introduces the concept of condition monitoring (CM) and summarizes various techniques used for CM across the industrial sectors. The techniques include visual inspection, performance monitoring, vibration condition monitoring, vibration condition monitoring, lubricant oil analysis, acoustic emission testing, temperature monitoring, motor current signature analysis, and ultrasound emission. The article describes the evolution of condition-based maintenance in CM. It also describes the basics of integrated vehicle health management, a capability that enables a number of maintenance philosophies. The article concludes with a discussion on various condition monitoring in industrial sectors, including condition-monitoring techniques in nuclear power plants, road condition monitoring, and condition monitoring in wind turbines.

Tribology is the study of friction, lubrication, and wear. It is a multidisciplinary subject covering the mechanics of contacting surfaces, their roughness characteristics, lubrication, and material behavior under normal load as well as in traction. This article focuses on well-established and widely accepted analytical methods and design and analysis charts for dealing with some of the issues in the area of engine and power train tribology. It provides a discussion on lubricant rheology and the prediction of lubricating film thickness. The article reviews the frictional power loss in piston-cylinder conjunctions, engine bearings, and transmission and differential gearing systems.

This article focuses on lubricants classified as either internal combustion engine or nonengine lubricants, and the lubricant additives. The functional groups of chemically active and inert additives, as well as friction modifiers and other additives, are described in detail. The chemically active additives include dispersants, detergents, antiwear, and extreme-pressure agents, oxidation inhibitors, and rust and corrosion inhibitors. The chemically inert additives include emulsifiers, demulsifiers, pour-point depressants, foam inhibitors, and viscosity improvers. The article also discusses the multifunctional nature of additives and concludes with information on lubricant formulation.

This article illustrates typical wear and friction issues encountered in gas and steam turbines and their consequences as well as commonly adopted materials solutions. It contains tables that present the summary of wear and friction related issues encountered in steam turbines and gas turbines. The article outlines the differences in the operating conditions and the nature of the components involved in gas and steam turbines. It discusses the constraints and applicable coating solutions for wear and friction issues, and concludes with a broad set of challenges that need to be addressed to improve performance and operability of gas and steam turbines.

This article addresses the impact of emerging technologies on future lubricant and tribology requirements. The connection between lubricant and tribological requirements is shown by briefly describing basic lubrication and friction processes in major engine components incorporating emerging technologies. The article introduces automotive lubricant development activities and the foundation of future automotive engine-lubricant trends. It discusses how emerging powertrain technology impacts future automotive lubricant and technology requirements, focusing on the effects of engine oils and additives on engine performance to meet powertrain performance requirements. A detailed overview of automotive engine oil performance evaluation methods and specifications, and their impact on the types of advanced lubricants being developed as well as future automotive engine testing requirements, is provided.

Through detection of the wear, risk assessment can be performed, along with a related time to failure estimation through technologies such as electrical signature analysis (ESA) and motor current signature analysis. This article discusses the principle of operation of data collectors for ESA measurements and illustrates the evaluation of broken rotor bars and a broken shaft. It describes the detection of faults in bearings using ESA and provides information on the investigation of gearboxes and related components in a wind generator.

This article focuses on friction, lubrication, and wear of internal combustion engine parts, improvements in which provide important gains in energy efficiency, performance, and longevity of the internal combustion (IC) engine systems. It discusses the types, component materials, and Friction and Wear Control of IC engine. The article explains the process of friction reduction by surface textures or coatings. It provides information on surface hardening of iron and steel, which is commonly employed for engine and powertrain components such as crankshafts, cams, and cylinder liners. The article also discusses advanced surface engineering technologies, such as diamondlike carbon coatings and surface texture technology. Information on thermal-spray methods that have led to improvements in engine components is also provided. The article describes IC engine-components wear, namely, piston assembly wear, valvetrain wear, cylinder-bore wear, and engine bearing wear. It concludes with information on inlet valve and seat wear of IC engine.

This article presents a background of green chemistry and green coatings, and a summary of the key concerns of the green coating procurement process. It includes a discussion on green marketing and the seven sins of greenwashing, an overview of the environmental certification standards and regulatory environments, and the importance of performance during the duty cycle.

Surface coatings are essential in all facilities that process nuclear materials or use nuclear fission for power generation. This article describes the coatings used in two basic types of Generation 3 nuclear reactor designs in the United States and their containment size. These reactors are the boiling water reactor (BWR) and pressurized water reactor (PWR). The article provides information on the loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) identified as the design basis accident (DBA), which can rapidly de-water the core of an operating nuclear reactor. To avoid LOCA, both the BWR and the PWR include emergency core cooling systems. The article describes a DBA test and other coating performance parameters necessary for safety-related coating systems. It provides a detailed account of the selection criteria of coating types in a nuclear plant. The article concludes by highlighting protective coating strategies in Generation 3 Plants.

Sintering atmosphere protects metal parts from the effects of contact with air and provides sufficient conduction and convection for uniform heat transfer to ensure even heating or cooling within various furnace sections, such as preparation, sintering, initial cooling, and final cooling sections. This article provides information on the different zones of these furnace sections. It describes the types of atmospheres used in sintering, namely, endothermic gas, exothermic gas, dissociated ammonia, hydrogen, and vacuum. The article concludes with a discussion on the furnace zoning concept and the problems that arise when these atmospheres are not controlled.