{"title":"Fatigue Failure of a Locomotive Suspension Spring that Initiated at a Seam","authors":"","doi":"10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c0048114","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c0048114","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 A locomotive suspension spring with a bar diameter of 36 mm failed. Outdoor exposure of a hot-rolled hardened-and tempered 5160 bars for suspension springs resulted in rusting in the seam and on the fracture surface. A step due to a seam was visible on the surface. The thumb nail looked off-center from the step, but a smaller thumb-nail shape that is concentric with the step and a second stage of growth were found to be spread principally to the right of the step. The rapid stage of failure, which began at the edge of the thumb nail, was much rougher and exhibited rays that diverge approximately radially from it. The seam wall was revealed to have two zones among which the lower zone being mottled. Dozens of spearhead shaped areas (fatigue cracks) pointing away from the seam was revealed at the base of the seam. The orientation of these origins was normal to the direction of resultant tensile stress from torsional stressing of the spring material. It was concluded that the fatigue failure in the spring was initiated at the base of a seam.","PeriodicalId":190158,"journal":{"name":"ASM Failure Analysis Case Histories: Rail and Rolling Stock","volume":"7 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116465625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Rivet-Hole Cracks in a Steam Boiler","authors":"F. Naumann, F. Spies","doi":"10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c9001175","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c9001175","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 A water tube boiler with two headers and 15.5 atm working pressure became leaky in the lower part due to the formation of cracks in the rivet-hole edges. The boiler plate of 20 mm thickness was a rimming steel with 0.05% C, traces of Si, 0.38% Mn, 0.027% P, 0.035% S, and 0.08% Cu. The mean value of the yield point was 24 (24) kg/sq mm, the tensile strength 39 (38) kg/sq mm, the elongation at fracture, d10, 26 (24)%, the necking at fracture 71 (66)% and notch impact value 11.5 (9.4) kgm/sq cm (the values in brackets are for the transverse direction). The specimen from inside surface of the boiler was polished and etched with Fry-solution, which revealed parallel striations formed due to the cold bending of the plate. The zones of slip were concentrated around the rivet holes. The cracks were formed here. The structure examination proved that the cracks had taken an exactly intercrystalline path, which is characteristic for caustic corrosion cracks. It was recommended that the internal stresses be removed through annealing or alternatively lye-resistant steel should be used.","PeriodicalId":190158,"journal":{"name":"ASM Failure Analysis Case Histories: Rail and Rolling Stock","volume":"55 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129301111","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Low-Temperature Brittle Fracture in a Steel Tank Car Because of Weld Imperfections","authors":"","doi":"10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c0089716","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c0089716","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 A railway tank car developed a fracture in the region of the sill and shell attachment during operation at -34 deg C (-30 deg F). On either side of the sill-support member, cracking initiated at the weld between a 6.4 mm thick frontal cover plate and a 1.6 mm thick side support plate. The crack then propagated in a brittle manner upward through the side plate, through the welds attaching the side plate to a 25 mm (1 in.) thick shell plate (ASTM A212, grade B steel), and continued for several millimeters in the shell plate before terminating. Other plates involved were not positively identified but were generally classified as semi-killed carbon steels. Investigation (visual inspection, hardness testing, chemical analysis, Charpy V-notch testing, and drop-weight testing) supported the conclusions that the fracture was initiated by weld imperfections and propagated in a brittle manner as a result of service stresses acting on the plate having low toughness at the low service temperatures encountered. Recommendations included that the specifications for the steel plates be modified to include a toughness requirement and that improved welding and inspection practices be performed to reduce the incidence of weld imperfections.","PeriodicalId":190158,"journal":{"name":"ASM Failure Analysis Case Histories: Rail and Rolling Stock","volume":"14 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114080922","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fatigue Failure of a Diesel Engine Crankshaft","authors":"","doi":"10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c9001418","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c9001418","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The crankshaft of a six cylinder, 225-hp diesel engine driving a small locomotive was examined. About nine months after installation a fall in oil pressure was traced to damage to No. 5 crank pin bearing. A small lip present on one side of the discontinuity apparently served to scrape the bearing material. The defect was stoned smooth, a new bearing fitted, and the engine returned to service. The engine performed satisfactorily for a further twelve months until fracture of the crankshaft through the No. 5 crank pin supervened. The fracture revealed a complex torsional fatigue failure. Microscopic examination revealed that the pin had been hard chromium plated and that the plating followed the curved edge of the outer extremity of the defect. This crank pin contained an inherent defect in the form of a slag inclusion or crack situated at the surface. That the crack only showed itself after a period of service suggests that initially it may have been slightly below the surface of the machined pin and some slight extension outwards took place in service.","PeriodicalId":190158,"journal":{"name":"ASM Failure Analysis Case Histories: Rail and Rolling Stock","volume":"2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131560659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tooth Bending Fatigue Failure of a Spiral Bevel Gear","authors":"Lester E. Alban","doi":"10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c9001496","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c9001496","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 A failed spiral gear and pinion set made from 4320H Ni-Cr-Mo alloy steel operating in a high-speed electric traction motor gear unit driving a rapid transit train were submitted for analysis. The pinion was intact, but the gear had broken into two sections that resulted when two fractured areas went through the body of the gear. Wheel mileage of the assembly was 34,000 miles at the time of failure. All physical and metallurgical characteristics were well within specified standards, and both parts should have withstood normal loading conditions. The primary mode of failure was tooth bending fatigue of the gear from the reverse direction near the toe end. The cause of failure was a crossed-over tooth bearing condition that placed loads at the heel end when going forward and at the toe end when going in reverse. The condition was too consistent to be a deflection under load; therefore, it most likely was permanent misalignment within the assembly.","PeriodicalId":190158,"journal":{"name":"ASM Failure Analysis Case Histories: Rail and Rolling Stock","volume":"49 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132305881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Metallographic Characterization of Liquid Metal Embrittlement in a Failed Locomotive Axle","authors":"B. Wilson, W. N. Weins","doi":"10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c9001719","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c9001719","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Metallography is an important component of failure analysis. In the case of a liquid metal embrittlement (LME) failure it is usually conclusive if a third phase constituent can be formed inside of the cracks after failure. In the case where it is necessary to characterize the third phase material, one can use various x-ray spectrographic techniques in conjunction with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). This study describes those metallographic and SEM analysis techniques for determining the mode of failure for a locomotive traction motor by LME.","PeriodicalId":190158,"journal":{"name":"ASM Failure Analysis Case Histories: Rail and Rolling Stock","volume":"41 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130147637","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Interpretation of a “Rock Candy” Fracture Exhibited by a Steel Railroad Casting","authors":"Alan A. Johnson, David N. Johnson","doi":"10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c9001665","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c9001665","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Following a freight train derailment, part of a fractured side frame was retained for study because a portion of its fracture surface exhibited a rock candy appearance and black scale. It was suspected of having failed, thereby precipitating the derailment. Metallography, scanning electron microscopy, EDXA, and x-ray mapping were used to study the steel in the vicinity of this part of the fracture surface. It was found to be contaminated with copper. Debye-Scherrer x-ray diffraction patterns obtained from the scale showed that it consisted of magnetite and hematite. It was concluded that some copper was accidentally left in the mold when the casting was poured. Liquid copper, carrying with it oxygen in solution, penetrated the austenite grain boundaries as the steel cooled. The oxygen reacted with the steel producing a network of scale outlining the austenite grain structure. When the casting fractured as a result of the derailment, the fracture followed the scale in the contaminated region thus creating the “rock candy” fracture.","PeriodicalId":190158,"journal":{"name":"ASM Failure Analysis Case Histories: Rail and Rolling Stock","volume":"19 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128242059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fracture of a Rail Arising From Flame-Cutting","authors":"","doi":"10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c9001444","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c9001444","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 To permit bolting of a 90 lb/yd. flat-bottomed rail to a steel structure, rectangular slots 2 in. wide x 1 in. deep were flame-cut in the base of the rail at 2 ft intervals to suit existing bolt holes. During subsequent handling, one of the rails (which were about 25 ft long) was dropped from a height of approximately 6 ft on to a concrete floor and it fractured into 11 pieces, each break occurring at a slot. The sample piece submitted for examination showed a wholly brittle fracture at each end, the fractures having originated at the sharp corners of the slots. During flame-cutting, a narrow band of material on each side of the cut was raised above the hardening temperature. When the torch had passed the rate of abstraction of heat from this zone by conduction into the cold mass of the rail was sufficiently rapid to amount to a quench and thus cause local hardening. The steel in the regions of the slots possessed little capacity for deformation, and fracturing of the martensitic layer, under cooling or impact stresses, would be likely to occur. The slots should have been cut mechanically.","PeriodicalId":190158,"journal":{"name":"ASM Failure Analysis Case Histories: Rail and Rolling Stock","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130003286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fracture of a Steel Tram-Rail Assembly","authors":"","doi":"10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c0048087","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c0048087","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Several of the welds in a hoist carriage tram-rail assembly fabricated by shielded metal arc welding the leg of a large T-section 1020 steel beam to the leg of a smaller T-section 1050 steel rail failed in one portion of the assembly. Four weld cracks and several indefinite indications were found by magnetic-particle inspection. The cracks were revealed by metallographic examination to have originated in the HAZs in the rail section. Cracks in welds and in HAZs resulting from arcing the electrode adjacent to the weld and weld spatter were also revealed. The tram-rail assembly was concluded to have failed by fatigue cracking in HAZs. The fatigue cracking was initiated and propagated by vibration of the tram rail by movement of the hoist carriage on the rail. As a corrective measure, welding procedures were improved and the replacement rail assemblies were preheated and postheated.","PeriodicalId":190158,"journal":{"name":"ASM Failure Analysis Case Histories: Rail and Rolling Stock","volume":"15 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126681577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cracking of Furnace Rings of Horizontal Multi-Tubular Boiler","authors":"","doi":"10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c9001392","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.fach.rail.c9001392","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Following leakage which developed within the furnace of a horizontal multi-tubular type boiler, examination revealed a series of cracks adjacent to the stiffening rings in the first plain furnace ring. The fire-side surface of the sample was coated with a layer of oxide scale. Microscopical examination of sections through the cracks showed them to be filled with oxide and to be of the multi-branched type, having blunt terminations. The general nature of the cracks was characteristic of cracking from thermal or corrosion fatigue, as results from the operation of varying stresses in an oxidizing or corrosive environment. The cracking in this particular case was due principally to the inordinately large gap between the components. Additionally, several of the sealing welds of the tubes to the back tube plate were cracked in a radial manner, and it would appear that in addition, abnormal thermal conditions may well have been experienced intermittently in service.","PeriodicalId":190158,"journal":{"name":"ASM Failure Analysis Case Histories: Rail and Rolling Stock","volume":"186 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133825314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}